Practical Magic - Dungeon 113

Practical Magic is an adventure full of personality. Many personalities in fact. 

A necromancer whose work is focused on making skilled undead even better at their jobs, he sees corpses that aren't being put to productive purposes as wasted material. He gets wind of another spellcaster with a sense for putting magic and inventions to practical uses and sees an opportunity for the two of them to work together, bettering both their efforts.

He sends an invitation to meet, but the message doesn't arrive because her boyfriend is breaking up with her. So the necromancer has his very smart undead servant kidnap the wizard.

The boyfriend is a dominated servant of a mermaid vampire. So is his cousin. 

The mermaid vampire has the boyfriend lure the downtrodden, poor, or depressed to her lair under the guise that she is a fortune teller that can help relieve them of their burdens. She then convinces the victims to go out of the world in an exotic way . . . as her food.

The boyfriend's cousin has turned evil and now wants to become a vampire.  

The ghast that kidnapped the wizard is addicted to fine clothes and fancy furnishings. He owns a Hat of Disguise that lets him pose as himself before being turned into a ghast, and allowed him to pull off the kidnapping.

The kidnapped wizard has heard out the necromancer's idea and come around to giving it serious consideration. She however has her own plan for how things should work.

Much of the adventure takes place in the two hidden lairs and will require time spent in the water. 

Now we just need to figure out where everything is and who else might be involved.

According to the module the mermaid vampire's lair is about 300' off the coast in about 20' of water, with a bunch of sharks around it. This could be almost anywhere as long as it stays not too far from Ptolus. Victims need to be able to reach the lair and her agents need to be able to return to the city fairly quickly, but it all needs to remain unnoticed. At first I thought to put it south of Beacon Island, but reading further into the adventure made it more likely that the necromancer's lair is under the south end of the island. Two major lairs that close together doesn't work for me.

Then I looked north of the docks. It might work, but it starts to come close to the territory of the Covenant of Blood and their Sahuagin allies. it could certainly work. She might be one of the 6 vampires in the Covenant. She's good with sharks and so are the Sahuagin. The drawback is that PCs that defeat or drive her away make enemies of the Covenant, the Sahuagin, the Balacazars, and all of their other allies. That's a lot of weight bearing down on the player characters. Maybe the mermaid vampire is viewed as unwanted competition by the Covenant and they'd like to see her gone, one way or another. 

"One thing about living in Ptolus I never could stomach is all the damned vampires."

Studying necromancy is not technically illegal in Ptolus, but creating undead or bringing undead into the city is outlawed. This is reason for the necromancer to have a hidden lair off shore. The lair is fairly large so he needs a big place to put it and under the south end of Beacon Island seems perfect. The island already has a reputation of being haunted. The necromancer is a known entity, and has in the past aided in fighting off pirates, so while dealing with unsavory things, nobody has gone out of their way to try and put an end to his practice.

Interesting is a great way to describe this adventure. It is possible for characters to make enemies of just about everyone in the module if enemies aren't killed. They could also end up with some bizarre semi-allies depending on their own sense of morals.

The Queen With The Burning Eyes - Dungeon Magazine 113

Evil cultists lead by a monied individual, check. Weird creatures within a section of Ghul's Labyrinth, check. A key to Dwarvenhearth, check. Evil delvers lead by a necromancer that want the key, check. This scenario plays well in Ptolus. The cultists might work as worshippers of Father Claw.

The real challenge here falls on people without the Eberron setting information about the monsters. You'll have to build some of them yourself, but that's fine because you'll have a solid understanding of how they work in combat when you finish construction.

The basics of the plot involve a bit of construction work/excavation work that is a cover for the monied cultists to operate in the labyrinth dungeon below. Some people are getting kidnapped, others mugged, burglaries of nearby homes and shops happen, etc, since the underground was opened to the surface.

Locating the dungeon is simple and it fits well in the Guildsman district. 

I used part of this with some of the characters in my first Ptolus campaign, but it never was fully completed. When the characters got a look at the Naga the cultists were sacrificing people to, they bolted from the dungeon. 

The Stink - Dungeon Magazine 105

Now who doesn't want to root around in and under the Middens and the sewers beneath them? You don't? What about your player characters?

This adventure will require some changes to play well with Ptolus, but the concept is solid.

Evil Locathah, non-evil Locathah, lot's of nasty encounters and dangerous filth. What's not to love?

Diseases are at the root of this adventure. Included in the scenario are 6 new diseases, described in juicy detail. 

The evil Locathah are worshippers of a god of disease and have chosen the midden and the sewers and caves below to set up a lab for incubating more and more virulent disease strains. 

You may have to put some effort toward getting the player characters involved in this mess, but a couple of options are put forward. A missing friend is one possibility, but I like the second option better because it can be developed with more detail. An important item, maybe a family heirloom has been accidently dumped into the vastness of the Midden and because of its nature the owner is willing to pay for delvers to go and get it back. There are also some missing people being held down below so the PCs might be pursuing that lead.

You can easily combine this with other scenarios like the one with Ularis Gadare offering a reward to go in and retrieve something he wants.

Racing the Snake - Dungeon Magazine 105

If there's something I enjoy it is challenging terrain, and this adventure delivers. Racing the Snake would make a great vacation outside the confines of Ptolus and the dungeon. 

After restructuring the opening act to work with the setting and city, the overland journey becomes very interesting with time-keeping used to see if the party can stay ahead of their foes.

A war between some merchants is underway and it has reached the point where the less scrupulous of them is hiring assassins to take out his rival and/or his rival's family.

The restructuring: 

The evil merchant is a fellow named Dajoud we can place in the Uraqi city of Rashadar. His targets are in Ptolus. Dajoud has sent a ship with some Uraqi mercenaries to the city to harass and kill employees of Trend and to try to kill Trend's daughter Felicia. Dajoud also tried to have Trend assassinated, but failed and now the target has shifted to Felecia. 

Player characters get involved by stumbling into a group of Dajoud's mercenaries attacking an employee of Trend in North Market. It's possible they might know this bard from some tavern or from the Joden Temple.

Galina, the bard, thanks the party for the rescue (assuming your players aren't the type to ignore obvious plot points), and notices that one of them resembles Felicia. She offers them 500 gold pieces to meet with Trend and hear a proposal from him. The meeting will take place that night at a warehouse he owns in the Docks district (come fully prepared).

Galina informs Trend of the coincidence of a look-alike and has a plan to send the party and the double on a false trail to lure the assassin off of Felicia's actual trail. When the party gets to the warehouse, they are paid up front and then Trend brings them up to speed on the plan and offers them 6,000 gold pieces if they sign on.

They are to leave immediately that night with their party member disguised. They will be travelling north into the Moonsilver Forest and finding their way along a narrow canyon/ravine for part of the trip. There's nothing saying such a thing can't be there since it is a small section and unimportant to the setting. They'll then move into an underground river and eventually come up through smugglers tunnels into Carper's Bay

They are to do everything in their power to string out the deception so the assassin keeps reporting back that he's still on the trail of "Felicia" so that Dajoud won't have reason to detect the ruse and hire more assassins to go after the real Felicia. Under almost no circumstance is "Felicia" to display any martial or magical talent.  

Meanwhile Trend and his daughter will be taking a different route to Carper's Bay to wed Felecia to another merchant's son, cementing their relationship and giving them more trading power to oppose Dajoud.

Trend cannot have Dajoud killed since he is against bloodshed mostly, and because Dajoud is very well connected making trade in Uraq very difficult afterward.

The assassin is a Yuan-ti Abomination that has a handful of Kobolds (3 of them sorcerers) working for him. The assassin will get wind of the party leaving Ptolus on the way to the wedding, and will hasten to follow.

That's when the fun of the journey begins. From there most of the module can be used with minimal adjustments.

As long as the party can maintain the ruse and avoid killing the Yuan-ti, Dajoud will remain ignorant and things will go as Trend and Galina planned. Dajoud is also a sorcerer and keeps in touch with the killer a couple of times each day by a Sending spell. He also knows if his employee is alive or dead thanks to a magic ring each of them wear.

There are plenty of obstacles along the way that smart players can turn against the enemy, and some encounters they might find a way to use to their advantage as well. There are notes in the locations and encounters indicating how the pursuers can be delayed further or catch up sooner depending on choices made.

After completing the scenario the characters may have made two merchant families as strong allies, and even some residents of the Moonsilver Forest. (Maybe the Viridian Lords)

The Sinkhole - Dungeon Magazine 103

What if an inn got sucked into some caverns that were part of the Shadow of Ptolus?

The scenario as written involves an inn falling, mostly intact, through a sinkhole into a cavern infused with the plane of shadow. Instead of a sinkhole, what about a magical translocation? 

Such an event would certainly fit into the lore of the setting. You could develop any number of reasons and make them plot hooks for something bigger.

The translocation of the inn turns it into another location behaving just like Kadmiel the Shade Tower. It doesn't exist in the real world, but occasion ally casts a shadow of itself on bright moonlit nights.

Among the many dangerous encounters are also hazards like pockets of gas, cave-ins, and any number of shadow related afflictions you could invent and apply.

The goal is to get everyone out of the shadow caverns and back to Ptolus proper. The hungry shadow infused monsters have other plans.

The adventure assumes the player characters are staying at the inn when everything starts. They could be there for any number of reasons, meeting a client, seeking information about something else they are investigating, etc. This works as a drop-in (pun intended) concurrent with other plot threads.

Strange effects for spellcasting would be appropriate with anything shadow or illusion related. Light could be dimmed. 

Going back to the Why?:

1) There could be someone at the inn that is a target of someone powerful enough to have the inn and everyone present shunted into the Shadow of Ptolus. Could Renn Sadar be involved somehow? It's unlikely he would be the target or even present since as powerful as he is and as connected to shadow magic, the PCs wouldn't have much work to do (unless he was in a coma the whole time).

2) Maybe a magic item is present that causes the shift.

3) Could a deity be behind it? Maybe Destor pushing his luck?

4) For some unfathomable reason the Soul Riders took control of half a dozen of the mightiest spellcasters in the Inverted Pyramid, including Renn Sadar, to work a ritual that threw the inn and occupants into the Shadow of Ptolus. They'll only vaguely recall bits of their actions and aren't likely to admit lacking control. The Soul Riders may want access to something within the shadow. If one of your players is absent you may want to use them as an NPC under the control of a Soul Rider. Perhaps that character is present when the shift into the Shadow of Ptolus occurs and is there to get whatever the Riders are after.

Escape as written is as simple as finding a certain cave-in and digging out, but for our purposes that would not be in keeping with the Shadow of Ptolus, and much too simple. Alternately you could let them dig out a passage into the second level of Kadmiel, the Tenebrous Abode, but that still isn't a way out. Spells like Plane Shift, Gate, and Etherealness, or items that work similarly could allow exit.

The Chasm Bridge - Dungeon Magazine 101

An evil wizard whose delving party left him behind when he lost a leg has taken up residence by a natural bridge over a chasm in the caverns below Ptolus. He attracted some monsters who now work for him, and he charges a steep toll to cross his bridge. The only other bridge over the same chasm is controlled by some mean Gargoyles he has a shaky truce with.

That's mostly it. It's a location that can be dropped into any cavernous dungeon if you need a little something else for the characters to interact with.

 

Prison of the Firebringer - Dungeon Magazine 101

An epic challenge, Prison of the Firebringer begins with wilderness locations and caravan attacks. It might work better for Ptolus if the wagons and outdoor locations get replaced with pack lizards and caverns. Cultists are behind these attacks as they search for a caster of lawful bent to force into casting the ritual to free the demon.

The story is that an academy of powerful mages summoned and trapped a Slaad Lord before they themselves fell. Slaad are creatures of chaos so it works from that standpoint, but in the adventure it is possible to negotiate with or even try to fool the powerful prisoner. To me, that aspect might rule out a Galchutt. Instead I would consider a powerful demon. Now some cultists and their powerful allies want to break the demon out.

Who are these cultists? Chaos cultists have been done to death so something fresh is needed. As written, one of the leaders is a Durzagon, basically a half-fiend/half-dwarf. That could make the cultists some wacked in the head dwarves. Initially Duergar came to mind, but they're lawful devil worshippers, not chaotic demon worshippers.  Derro? They are chaotic evil, but are not in the 5e Monster Manual. Well, just dwarves that are nuts.

The player characters get dragged into things when they come upon the survivors from an attack who tell them what happened and ask the party to help rescue those that were taken by the Acolytes of the Hidden Flame. 

The caravan could have been going from the surface down to settlements below. Now all that's left are a bunch of fried lizards and the dead delvers that were guarding the caravan. The wizard from the named adventuring group is missing and could easily be someone whose name the PCs recognize. The cloth and wine the lizards were carrying are as toasted as the lizards themselves.

Placing the location of the academy into the dungeons below the city means determining who this cabal of powerful spellcasters were. Let's keep things uniform, they were dwarves, the lawful sort, who in desperation summoned and bound a demon in order to fight off a Drow invasion.

Among the locations of interest in the scenario are an observatory. At first this seemed a bit tough to work with and then I just decided that there's no reason powerful wizards and the like couldn't have an underground observatory. Magic is magic after-all. The observatory is the lair of a Beholder, so things get tough fast and the Beholder is untypical, being able to cast spells.

The Beholder wants someone to get rid of the bonkers dwarves and will point the party to where they can be found if asked politely.

Other locations include another ambush site complete with a dead pack beast, also cooked. A passage with a blood trail from a wounded pack animal. A campsite above the passage from where some cultists and a demon will attack the party. Another camp where some cultists can be talked to and maybe the party will get jumped by a half-fiend Minotaur cleric and another demon.

The cultists are crazy, but not zealots so it is possible to get information those captured.

After all of that the group will reach the dungeon and may face some Fomorian giants at their camp.

Inside the dungeon are some rooms with ghost guards.

In the original module there are numerous Slaad, but I might replace them with various types of demons.

 As things progress one might get the impression that the original occupants were lawful, but just as crazy as the cultists. They used plenty of undead to guard the place.

Turns out the demon prisoner isn't alone, his mount, a fiendish Pyro-Hydra is trapped here as well. It happens to be a Legendary creature.

Bazin-Gorag is a two headed demon, maybe you could make it an aspect of Demogorgon.

In hindsight, it might be best to keep the Slaad instead of demons, but still use the bonkers dwarves as cultists.

Besides defeating this epic opponent, the adventure provides options for other outcomes that have repercussions later.

Critical Threats Homnar Thest - Dungeon Magazine 100

Most of these Critical Threats from Dungeon Magazine, I find rather boring. Not this one. Homnar Thest would fit right in around Ptolus.

Master Thest as some call him is a weretoad, and a nasty one. He runs a smuggling and kidnapping operation with some fellow weretoads. He sells victims into slavery. Sounds like he could be part of any number of groups in the city. He would work well with the Ennin.

There's no adventure attached to the NPC villain, but the personality and nature of this beastly fellow almost writes one for you.

On the surface he comes off as a prosperous merchant. He's very portly, yet agile. He wears expensive cloths, jewelry, etc. He's a glutton and greedy to boot. Oh, and he eats people when he can get away with it.

In Giant Toad form he can swallow targets whole. If he catches a character alone things could go very badly, or result in a kidnapping. Have a player you know will be missing a couple of sessions? This could be a reason their character isn't around, and the ransom might be expensive.

Blind Man's Bluff - Dungeon Magazine 97

This is one of the many Side-Treks mini scenarios Dungeon Magazine was fond of publishing. There's not a lot to change. It can be moved into the dungeons below Ptolus easily enough. 

The short of it is that some Grimlocks are seeking help to rescue a leader of theirs trapped in the cave of an undead (wight) Ettin. They plan to double cross the party once their leader is safe. That's really all there is to it.

You can toss this in while the group are on their way to do something else down below.

Expanding the encounter shouldn't be too difficult since the background given mentions a Mind Flayer causing the Grimlocks to be in the situation to begin with. It ordered them here and then abandoned them when the wight kicked their collective backsides.

A wight by itself is a pretty tough fight for a lower level party. An Ettin that's a wight should be a bit tougher. Since in 5e humanoids killed by wights rise as zombies, you could up the difficulty by having the 4 slain Grimlocks already zombified.

The lair could also be a place to put a plot hook for later down the line, among the treasure.

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (part 8: areas 39 through 41)

The final segment of restocking the dungeon. We cover areas 39 though 41.

Unless otherwise stated, all areas are unlit.

Unless otherwise stated ceiling height is 10 feet. 

All secret doors require a DC14 or better perception to spot.

All areas other than 0, 1, and 3 are grey stone.

Should you decide to have random encounters in the southern part of the dungeon, the following are suggested: 2 Toruk Rul, 1 Sorn Ulth, both, the sound of clicking in the distance, a sudden breeze that stops just as suddenly. 

Toruk Rul and Sorn Ulth are in the 5e update of the Ptolus core book pages 598 & 599.

Area 39: At the bottom of the flights of stairs a wooden door has been propped open. (you can determine where the open door leads) Coming up the stairs are 2 Toruk Rul. If combat breaks out at either areas 39 or 40 the other group rushes to join the fight. These Toruk Rul carry a total of 37 silver pieces.

Area 40: Note: Replace the secret door between areas 38 and 40 with a Blue Steel door. The cost to pass through is to forsake the respect of another. After the initial cost, the password that character becomes the name of the one who has lost respect for the character.

Pausing here before tackling the Blue Steel door is a group of 4 Toruk Rul and 1 Sorn Ulth. If combat breaks out in either areas 39 or 40 the other group will rush to join the fight. These Toruk Rul carry 161 Gold, 250 silver, and 19 copper pieces. The Sorn Ulth (Durgg) carries 2 gems worth 250 gold pieces each.

Area 41: Completely shrouded in magical darkness, this cavern chamber is cold and damp. At each of the cardinal points stand upraised sarcophagi, draped in calcium accretions. The lids are open. In the center of the room is a stone plinth atop of which is a sheathed dagger. (see blog post Magic Item - Dagger of Mourning)

Encounter: 4 Shadows. 5e Monster Manual page 269.

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (part 7: areas 34 through 38)

More of the restocking. We cover areas 34 through 38. 

Unless otherwise stated, all areas are unlit.

Unless otherwise stated ceiling height is 10 feet. 

All secret doors require a DC14 or better perception to spot.

All areas other than 0, 1, and 3 are grey stone.

Should you decide to have random encounters in the southern part of the dungeon, the following are suggested: 2 Toruk Rul, 1 Sorn Ulth, both, the sound of clicking in the distance, a sudden breeze that stops just as suddenly. 

Toruk Rul and Sorn Ulth are in the 5e update of the Ptolus core book pages 598 & 599.

Area 34: Empty.

Area 35: On the walls of the room are a total of 7 copper plaques covered in heavy verdigris. Each is 3 foot by 3 foot and weighs 10 pounds. Cleaning them shows the writing in both Abyssal and Infernal. Translating them reveals spells that can be copied into spellbooks. The spells are: Ray of Sickness, Crown of Madness, Fear, Dominate Beast, Dominate Person, Circle of Death, Finger of Death.

It takes 10 minutes of careful work to remove a plaque from the wall without damaging it. See the magic section of the 5e Players Handbook for the value and cost of transcribing or buying/selling spells.

Area 36: The door is locked. Ruined furnishings. (you may want to roll for a random encounter)

Area 37: Empty. (you may want to roll for a random encounter)

Area 38: Note: Replace the secret door between areas 38 and 40 with a Blue Steel door. The cost to pass through is to forsake the respect of another. After the initial cost, the password that character becomes the name of the one who has lost respect for the character.

The circular room is tall, with a domed ceiling peaking at a height of 30 feet. Standing in the center of the red granite floor is a man covered in stitches as if his parts are not originally his own. He stares blankly until someone enters the room and then he attacks. He will not pursue retreating creatures beyond the door.

Encounter: Flesh Golem. 5e Monster Manual page 169.

Levitating 25 feet above the center of the floor is a jagged black crown. (see blog post Magic Item - Lesser Crown of Harrowing)

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (part 6: areas 29 through 33)

Continuing the restock of the southern part of the dungeon. We cover areas 29 through 33.

Unless otherwise stated, all areas are unlit.

Unless otherwise stated ceiling height is 10 feet. 

All secret doors require a DC14 or better perception to spot.

All areas other than 0, 1, and 3 are grey stone.

Should you decide to have random encounters in the southern part of the dungeon, the following are suggested: 2 Toruk Rul, 1 Sorn Ulth, both, the sound of clicking in the distance, a sudden breeze that stops just as suddenly. 

Toruk Rul and Sorn Ulth are in the 5e update of the Ptolus core book pages 598 & 599.

Area 29: This is a treasury. In the southeast section of the room are piled 4 wooden chests, 3 leather bags, and a scattering of loose coins. All of the chests are locked and trapped. 1) poison needle 3d4 poison plus paralysis, DC12 Dexterity save to avoid, 2) slicing blade 2d8, DC12 Dexterity save for half damage, 3) Freezing Hands (same as Burning Hands spell) for cold damage, DC12 Dexterity save for half damage, 4) Must make a DC12 Wisdom saving throw. Failure results in a curse of Disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws until curse is removed.

Chest Inventory:

1) 500 gold pieces, a marble statuette of an armor clad warrior worth 125 gold pieces, a Potion of Vitality.

2) 839 silver pieces, a Scroll of Protection from Good.

3) 1,406 copper pieces, damaged Wand of Sickening (see Eyebite spell, sickened effect, DC15 Wisdom save to resist, the wand has only a single charge per 24 hour period and on each use must roll 1d10, on a 1 the wand snaps losing all magical properties.

4)  727 gold pieces, Potion of Resistance (Thunder damage), Gloves of the Seamstress (see blog post Magic Item - Gloves of the Seamstress)

Leather Bags Inventory:

These are small leather bags.

The first bag opened summons a Swarm of Poisonous Snakes 5e Monster Manual page 338.

1) 13 gems valued in gold pieces, 1x 500, 3x 100, 7x 50, 2x 10

2) 38 gems valued in gold pieces, 17x 25, 14x 10, 6x 50, 1x 200

3) 1 emerald worth 1,000 gold pieces

Scattered Inventory:

84 gold pieces, 179 silver pieces, 344 copper pieces.

Area 30: Creatures entering the 10 foot section marked 30 are catapulted against the wall and tumble down the stairs into are 41 taking 3d6 damage, half with a successful DC14 Dexterity saving throw. Both success and failure result in the prone condition.

Area 31: A large bed, desk, chair, and wardrobe occupy this room. The furniture has long since fallen into disrepair and dry-rot. On the desk sit a dry inkwell, and a worm-eaten tome. Opening the book causes the pages to crumble to dust and fragments.

Area 32: Tossing and up-ending furniture, 2 Toruk Rul are conducting an aggressive, but ineffective search for valuables. The ancient bunks are torn asunder and their rotted mattresses litter the floor. Any fight here brings the Sorn Ulth from area 33 to join the battle.

These Toruk Rul carry a total of 6 gold, 13 silver, and 19 copper pieces.

Area 33: A lone Sorn Ulth is conducting a lazy search of this room full of deteriorating bunks. 

Gronekz wields the cursed Morningstar "Creature" and if engaging in combat will immediately summon a Dretch behind his enemies. (see blog post Magic Item - Named Morningstar Creature)

Gronekz carries 15 gold pieces.

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (part 5: areas 24 through 28)

Continuing the restock into the southern section of the dungeon. We cover areas 24 through 28.

Unless otherwise stated, all areas are unlit.

Unless otherwise stated ceiling height is 10 feet. 

All secret doors require a DC14 or better perception to spot.

All areas other than 0, 1, and 3 are grey stone.

Should you decide to have random encounters in the southern part of the dungeon, the following are suggested: 2 Toruk Rul, 1 Sorn Ulth, both, the sound of clicking in the distance, a sudden breeze that stops just as suddenly. 

Toruk Rul and Sorn Ulth are in the 5e update of the Ptolus core book pages 598 & 599.

A party of Toruk Rul led by Sorn Ulth broke into the southern section of the dungeon through a door at area 39, and are exploring the dungeon.

Area 24: Empty. (you may want to roll for a random encounter)

Area 25: Empty. (you may want to roll for a random encounter)

A & B - These Caryatid Columns are activated once a creature steps on the T in this area. Caryatid Column 5e Into The Borderlands by Goodman Games, page 343. The Caryatid Columns resemble humanoids assembled from multiple different types of creatures. 

B - An alcove in the west wall holds a small chest containing 2 scrolls. The cleric spells are Bestow Curse and Contagion.

Area 26: Empty. (you may want to roll for a random encounter)

Area 27: Small bowls are carved into the north and south walls and contain unlit cones of incense. 

Area 28: Strange script is chiseled onto the entire surface of every wall. Hidden among the text are two words in a different language. These are the separate passwords for the two secret doors. Both doors are inscribed with a Glyph of Warding, Explosive Runes, for Thunder Damage. The Glyphs are activated by attempting to open the doors and can be bypassed if the correct password is used. 

A DC15 Perception roll or searching for 10 minutes reveals the different style of script.

Comprehend Languages will reveal the language for most script as Abyssal and Infernal for the passwords. The Abyssal script goes on endlessly about destruction and death. The two passwords are Death and Taxes. One of the two secret doors does not contain the word death in the script. (you decide what works)

A - The stone visage of a Toruk Rul lies on its side in this alcove.

B - A statue of Ghul, 9 feet tall stands in this alcove. The paint used on the statue remains vibrant and life-like. The eye sockets are empty and show chipping and scratching around the edges.

Any creature attempting to pass the statue in either direction, without use of the pass phrase triggers the forced and rapid release of Gorgon Gas in the three squares immediately in front of the statue. The gas remains active in those squares, dispersing after 10 minutes. Creatures that enter these squares or begin their turn in these squares must make a DC13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save they are restrained and begin turning to stone. Restrained targets must repeat their saving throw with failure resulting in petrification. Greater Restoration or a  potion of Stone to Flesh is require to free the creature.

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (part 4: areas 19 through 23)

Dungeeon restocking continued. We cover areas 19 through 23.

Unless otherwise stated, all areas are unlit.

Unless otherwise stated ceiling height is 10 feet. The ceiling in area 22 is 20 feet.

All secret doors require a DC14 or better perception to spot.

All areas other than 0, 1, and 3 are grey stone.

Note: When characters reach the hall outside either area 7 or 10 the Telluric Slink in area 22 begins moving. When the characters enter areas 8, 9, or area 11 it would move to area 16, then the next to 14, and so on, as the party progresses. This makes it possible for the party to meet or bypass the Slink at various locations. Reminder - it has blindsight and will detect their movement or other vibration causing activity within 60 feet distance and begin moving toward such activity.

Area 19: A faded painting of Ghul the Half-God is centered on the south wall. Below it sit three rusted iron chests, open and empty,

Area 20: The walls floor, ceiling, and doors within the room are painted black. The paint is fading to a dingy, dark grey and flaking off some areas.

Area 21: In the eastern section of this room is a bedroll and a backpack. Inside the backpack are three days of rations and two water skins. One of the water skins is empty.

A strange apparatus is attached to the northern wall. A hand shaped plate is affixed to the side of a device connected to 3 mechanical arms that end in needles. Above them are 4 glass tubes containing colored liquids. Hanging from the ceiling is a fully encasing helmet with a smooth, featureless face, only the eyes are not covered. It is not possible for the creature in the helmet to operate the device.

Pressing the hand plate allows for control of the device mentally. A creature standing beneath the helmet becomes locked in and held in place until treatment is complete. The device is for injecting the various liquids into the subject's eyes for different effects. All benefits gained cease after one month without repeat treatment. Drawbacks are permanent without a restoration or remove curse.

Translucent yellow - This liquid turns the iris bright golden yellow and gives the recipient dark vision out to 60'. It has no effect other than color change for creatures that already have dark vision.

Syrupy green - This liquid turns the entire eye black and gives the recipient the ability to function in bright light without penalty. Other than color change it provides no benefit to those who have no problems in daylight.

Translucent pale blue - This liquid turns the eye completely transparent resulting in blindness except in magical darkness. 

Opaque red - This liquid is the catalyst that allows other liquids to be mixed effectively and safely.

Mixing yellow with green results in glowing green eyes and provides both benefits.

Mixing yellow with blue results in a green iris and both benefits.

Mixing green with blue results in no color change to the eye, and provides x-ray vision through up to 6 inches of wood, 1 inch of metal, but not through lead. No other benefits are achieved.

Mixing any colors without including red liquid requires a DC15 Constitution saving throw. Failure results in 3d6 poison damage, the poisoned condition for 24 hours, and severe vision difficulties giving disadvantage on anything affected by vision. Attack rolls, Dexterity saving throws, and skills needing eyesight are examples.

Both eyes must be treated alike or the same penalty to vision related efforts occurs.

Area 22: Empty. See above to determine location of the Telluric Slink.

Area 23: Rotted wooden furniture and a rotted rug adorn this room. Otherwise empty.

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (part 3: areas 14 through 18)

Continuing the restocking of the dungeon. We cover areas 14 through 18.

Unless otherwise stated, all areas are unlit.

Unless otherwise stated ceiling height is 10 feet. In areas 14, 16, and 17 the ceilings are 20 feet.

All secret doors require a DC14 or better perception to spot.

All areas other than 0, 1, and 3 are grey stone.

Area 14: In the 10 foot section closest to area 13 is a 2 foot smear of pinkish slime. It is harmless, but smells horrible. Otherwise the chamber is empty.

Area 15: Recent bloodstains mark the floor in front of the large steel door. The door is locked. The black metal key from area 7 unlocks this door. The lock shows signs of scratching and there are half a dozen small dents around it. 

Narrow stone tables run along the walls. Wooden cabinets are hung above each of them. Canisters of various types are scattered about the tables along with numerous alchemical tools. 

A metal cart with a wooden top sits just to the south of the doorway. On the cart are 6 sealed glass bottles, each with some sort of chalky blue residue in the bottom. Opening a bottle releases a toxic gas. Any creature within 10 feet of the opened bottle must make a DC12 Constitution saving throw or fall unconscious for one minute. Saving throws may be repeated at the end of a creature's turns with a success ending the condition.

Spending 10 minutes performing a search of the room results in the following discoveries and encounters: 3 glass jars with cork lids contain gold, silver, and copper dust worth, 177 gold, 81 gold, and 17 gold pieces worth of material; 4 small stone jars containing ground chunks of obsidian, beryl, moonstone, and garnet worth a total of 97 gold pieces worth of material to the right buyer; dozens of containers of herbs, powders, and other reagents worth an additional 53 gold pieces for those that retain potency; the equipment and tools are worth 1,300 gold pieces if they can be safely transported and sold.

A cabinet in the northwest corner holds a large ceramic jar leaning against the inside of the door. It will fall, breaking and splattering the closest creature with Green Slime. 5e Dungeon Masters Guide page 105

Area 16: Bits and pieces of armor, equipment, clothing and bone litter this area. What was once a dead body has been savagely ripped apart. The remaining items of value include a dagger in its sheath, a small pouch containing 4 gold pieces, 23 silver pieces, 8 copper pieces, and 2 small bits of blue quartz worth 5 gold each.

Area 17: Bathed in an eerie orange glow this room is crisscrossed by dozens of wire cables. Some lead to the glowing hemispheres on the ceiling while others sink into the floor around a 10 foot by 10 foot rusted metal trap door, and others connect to a strange machine just beside it. Movement through the room is treated as difficult terrain. Moving any faster requires a DC12 Dexterity saving throw. Failure results in becoming prone. 

Beside the south side of the trap door is a large machine taking up the 10 foot square and reaching nearly to the ceiling. Strange tubes and protrusions cover the device. On the south side are three levers and a panel shaped like a hand. The right hand lever is in the down position and the other two are in the up position.

The right lever controls power to the overhead lights. It is currently in the on position. The center lever sends power to the mass of unconnected cables scattered about the floor. Falling prone while this switch is on results in taking 2d6 electric damage upon falling and at the start of any turn the creature is prone. The left lever sends power to area 18 below the trap door.

Area 18: Telluric Slink creation pit. The trap door is rusted shut requiring a DC20 Strength check to open. Beneath the door is a deep pit filled with a dark blue liquid 10 feet below the rim and a further 20 feet deep. A mild alcohol smell exudes from the pit. Sending power to the pit causes the fluid to begin bubbling and the smell becomes stronger.

Creatures falling into the liquid or imbibing the liquid are immediately made violently ill requiring a DC17 Constitution saving throw. Failure results in taking 4d10 poison damage and having the poisoned condition for 24 hours. Success results in half damage and the poisoned condition for 1 hour. If the power to the pit is on, anyone entering the liquid also takes 2d6 electric damage at the start of their turns that they remain in the liquid.

Encounter: A mature Telluric Slink rests in a state of torpor at the bottom of the creation pit. Creatures entering the liquid disturb its rest. One round after a creature enters the liquid the Slink will move to attack. (see blog post New Monster - Telluric Slink for stats)

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (part 2: areas 7 through 13)

Continuing the restocking of the dungeon, we cover areas 7 through 13.

Unless otherwise stated, all areas are unlit.

Unless otherwise stated ceiling height is 10 feet.

All secret doors require a DC14 or better perception to spot.

All areas other than 0, 1, and 3 are grey stone.

If you choose to include random encounters here are some suggested creatures for areas 1 through 13: All of these are from the 5e Monster Manual beginning with page 323;  Giant Centipede, Giant Fire Beetle, Phase Spider, Swarm of Insects, Bandits. Roll a d8 for encounters and on results 7 & 8 use these two events: 7 - a soft hum can be heard with no discernable direction, 8 - a mild vibration can be sensed through the soles of the feet. 

Note: When characters reach the hallway outside rooms 7 or 10, the creature in Area 22 begins to move through other areas each time characters proceed beyond those locations. See Area 22 for details.

Area 7: Bunk beds line the walls. Two footlockers have been broken open and the contents dumped into a pile in the middle of the floor. The pile of old threadbare clothes hold nothing of value. Tucked under one of the lower bunks is a black metal key. Characters find the key if they spend one minute searching.

Area 8: An old desk sits near the southeast corner of the room. All drawers have been ransacked. The seat and back of a chair lay on the floor, the legs are missing and there are signs that they were broken off. Empty shelves line the remaining walls. 

Encounter: A pair of Dretch immediately attack anyone entering this room. 5e Monster Manual page 57. They fight until destroyed and will pursue retreating characters throughout the dungeon, only stopping at the exit.

Area 9: The walls are covered with defaced and rotted tapestries depicting Ghul and his armies slaying elves and dwarves. A small stone altar is centered on the floor and shows signs of abuse. Chips of stone surround the altar.

Area 10: This long corridor leading to area 11 has 6 doors. These rooms were once cells holding prisoners.

A - Piles of bones from prisoners litter the floor and reaching halfway up the walls.

B - Two of these cells are empty. Opening the third triggers this event: Shrieking Soul - The ghostly visage of a horribly tortured elf sits chained against the wall. It begins to scream requiring all creatures within a 60 foot range to make a DC15 Wisdom saving throw each round, taking 2d6 damage (half on a success) for one minute (10 rounds). Closing the door does not stop it. A successful turn undead pacifies the Shrieking Soul for 24 hours. Make a random encounter check if this event occurs with the encounter happening after the shrieking ends.

Area 11: Collapsing shelves line the walls in the northeast and southwest of the room. In the southeast 10 feet the floor is stained and cracked. There is a ring of corrosion amid the stains, where a large circular object once sat. When a character approaches the southeast corner an apparition appears of two gnarled looking orcs using wooden prods to force a struggling elf down into an iron tub of liquid. The elf has the twisted appearance of a Harrow Elf.

Areas 12 & 13. Both areas are empty with the exception of random bits of debris. A careful examination of area 13 lasting 1 minute leads to finding a small flawed pearl worth 25 gold pieces.

Skulking Below - Dungeon Magazine 81

Five adventures from one issue of Dungeon. Five. This is the fifth module in the issue that seemed worth talking about in regard to fitting it to a Ptolus campaign.

Central to the story are a group of evil Skulks that have stepped up their robbery and murder efforts. This has the City Watch thinking the thieves guild has gotten bold, and the Watch plans to crack down.

The PCs can become enmeshed in the situation through a number of approaches. The Watch can hire them because their own men are stretched thin and there's some urgency to get things resolved. Or they might owe a Watch Captain a favor. Maybe someone they know was a victim and they decide to investigate.

The thieves guild has enacted a plan to put an end to these skulks plans by luring the Watch right to them. They have a doppleganger find and ally with the Skulks to fool them into thinking they're working for the guild and push them to greater, riskier activity. 

It might be interesting to have the Killraven Crime League be the ones trying to set the Skulks up to take a fall in order to get rid of minor competition and take some heat off of their people in the district.

As written, part of the action takes place in the sewers below the Docks District, but in Ptolus there's nothing below the docks except deep water. The district itself is a construct partially held up by magic. This means we need to move that activity to another location.

If you have the Skulk bandits operating in Oldtown it would ruffle enough feathers to get the Watch working hard to find the perpetrators. It also opens up the possibility that the characters might go to Skulk Alley seeking insight. This could prove interesting because it's not certain that these Skulks would rat out the others. In fact, if they know about the plans to deliberately have them hunted down by the law, they might do some misdirection.

The Skulk bandits are operating out of a hidden lair reached through the sewers. This old lair was once used by criminals who worshipped a deity of shadows and thievery. Based on the bloodstained altar and other factors the best choice is Maleskari.

Years ago some members of the City Watch raided this location and sealed some of the occupants inside a section the Skulks haven't broken into yet. Those occupants died and turned into ghouls and ghasts. Why they were stuck inside is a mystery since there's another access point down a set of spiral stairs descending several hundred feet into a set of catacombs and passages the author left undetailed so DMs could fill in what lies below. You can either plan ahead for why they couldn't escape or omit the stairs altogether.

Khazefryn - Dungeon Magazine 81

This is the fourth adventure in issue 81 of Dungeon Magazine that I've chosen to write about. 

There really isn't much work needed to fit this into your Ptolus campaign. You kind of get the impression that the author originally wrote more for the scenario and the editors had him cut it down, but that extra wouldn't likely have provided hooks useable for connecting it to the city.

Khazefryn as written can easily become a slaughter-fest, especially for hack and slash happy murder hobos. 

Getting the characters involved in the adventure is very easy. Outlined in the scenario are a few options. 

1) Player characters are travelling through caverns and discover this place during their journey. They can pay up in order to pass through (it's very expensive to avoid a fight), or they can back off and seek a path around the place. Make this a costly and dangerous shortcut, or just something they stumble onto. They'll learn that it exists and can always come back to it later if they choose to avoid the place.

2) If the party is searching for something specific they might encounter some underdark denizens that can clue them into the idea that it was taken to Khazefryn. Further questioning can reveal that it is inhabited by a number of different type of creatures, but try not to reveal the presence of the dragons.

3) A bounty might be placed on the head of a resident and the party might decide to fetch the wanted individual. The adventure suggests a certain Drow thief along with an interesting deal to agree with in order to take him away.

4) Another group of underground dwellers wants to find out details of the goings on in Khazefryn and sends the PCs. In this instance they can be following up on the rumor that a dragon runs the place.

Khazefryn consists of 6 "islands" in a lake. The islands were enormous mineral columns that had their tops broken off by the previous inhabitants so they could build a monastery. After they left or were driven away some Drow turned the location into an outpost. Since that time other creatures have come along to make some of the islands their abodes. 

A pair of poorly named dragons later arrived and took control, killing off those of the Drow that refused to accept their rule and subjugating everyone within the cavern. Stalagmite and Stalactite? Come on, we can do better than that for dragon names.

Should you choose to do so, the adventure presents the opportunity to further develop the intrigue between the various factions within the cavern complex. It is hinted at, but not pursued. There are also doppleganges that have begun infiltrating the tribes. The residents, under the rule of the dragons, pull together to fight off invaders, but otherwise bicker and skirmish among themselves.

Among the island residents are tribes of Kuo Toa, Lizardmen, Troglodytes, a bat-like humanoid race that can't fly, called Bainligor, and Drow. In the lake are some eels big enough to have a swallow attack, and some aquatic gargoyles. In the caves to the side the dragons have their lair.

Take care to read this module a couple of times and make appropriate preparation to run it. There are also some cursed magic items present you'll want to account for, including one that can disintegrate a wearer, and another that insta-kills characters that try to read the rune written on it (with no saving throw, you know I'll change that aspect if I run this).

It's possible for the characters to be captured (drow poison can knock them out). In that event you have a plethora of options for what to do with them. The writer suggests that one PC gets selected to become a blood sacrifice to Gorgoth-Lol (Lolth) and the others sold to a number of monster types as slaves or food. The party would have all of their possessions taken and added to the hoards of the dragons. 

Rescuing a party beset by this situation can be either an off-screen event or you could have the players run back-up characters to do their own rescue. There's also the aspect of wanting their stuff back to motivate them to return for round two. 

The Door to Darkness - Dungeon Magazine 81

If you're looking for a short adventure for introducing a party that has just arrived in Ptolus, take a look at this one. 

A wizard has become mad with jealousy toward some dwarves that he feels upstaged his accomplishments as a hero for his town. Two of the dwarves open an inn and he decides to use his illusion magic to haunt it. What nobody knew is that the inn sits over a source of evil shadow magic. As written, the worst aspects of the scenario are caused by a dark evil in the ruins of a fallen elven city below the inn. 

What can we work with here . . . Crazy illusionist, and an inn above a source of evil shadow magic.

Let's work backwards a bit.

Ren Sadar of House Sadar will get wind of the events that happen at the inn when the scenario is finished. He will be very interested in this matter since he is heavily focused on shadow magic. A few days afterward he will probably come to the in and investigate. He could even hire the party to delve down into the dungeon to find the exact location of the source.

As a source for the evil shadow magic manifestations it makes sense that one of Ghul's labs has been tapped into and when the illusionist used his magic with bad intent things began to get nasty. Alternately, the source could be a section of the lair of Kagrisos the Ghost Lich that was previously undiscovered. Old parts of his former lair include the area in and surrounding the Undercity Market.

The player characters could have gotten involved simply by needing a place to stay when they first get to Ptolus.

Wackjob the wizard became mad at the dwarves for succeeding where he failed in the dungeon.

So now we just need to place the inn and then design the section of the labyrinth directly beneath it, oh, and the section of affected sewer between the two for when the PCs follow this scenario with the job from Ren Sadar. Let's put the inn on the corner of Tavern Row and Center Street directly across from Row Bathhouse. 

The module is simple and short, but with a little thought it lends itself to being a starting point for other adventures.

Divisions of the Mind - Dungeon Magazine 81

Psionics was not to my liking in AD&D so it's no surprise that a couple of decades ago I overlooked this adventure. Going through it now however, I can see a place for it in a Ptolus campaign.

Originally the module is set near a small town in some forested hills where the Beholder that kicks the story off resides in the caves. The Beholder attacks the town without assaulting people, destroying only buildings and objects. The goal is to draw would-be heroes to its lair where it hopes to convince them to investigate something it discovered in the deeper caverns below.

Opening the adventure with a Beholder attack in the city doesn't feel right to me since there would likely be quick reprisal and little chance of negotiation if things begin with violence. Of course anything is possible. It seems more likely that the Eye beast would be fully aware of how dangerous that would be and would instead choose a saner approach. 

Acting through one of its minions perhaps a message is carried into The Ghostly Minstrel and the not-too-bright creature seemingly at random, drops it onto the table where the player characters are sitting. Yes, it's the "you're sitting in a bar" trope, this time the monsters are seeking help. Then the minion turns and walks out, all without a sound. Scratched into the surface of the large piece of slate is the phrase "follow it". 

Assuming the players know a plot hook when it's just been shown to them, they should follow the creature through part of town, maybe near the city wall in North Market, and down into the sewers and dungeon below, eventually getting to the caves in which our quest-giver resides. Have the miniion enter ahead of the party and be one of the two victims of the giant Trapper/Lurker in area #2,  At that point the adventure can run almost as written.

I suggest placing the caves and deeper caverns of this scenario under the area just outside the city walls to the north of Ptolus. 

There are Derro thralls as well as Derro mutants in the adventure as written, but I vaguely recall Derro not being part of the Ptolus setting. I don't recall where I saw that information. Don't let that stop you from using them in your campaign. In this adventure it might make sense because of how different everything in the citadel is from the norm.

There is a lot of system conversion work to be done if you're running this in something other than 2nd edition AD&D. 

In the great cavern below is a floating crystal and stone citadel inhabited by illithid variants that are hostile to regular mind flayers, but might not be hostile to the characters depending on how the party behaves.

The evocative descriptions of things within the crystal citadel make for a fascinating experience.

It is possible to make allies and enemies of various NPCs from the adventure with opportunity for future plots.

Lazat Lan is a prisoner that looks human, but is an illithid that for some reason did not transform fully when undergoing ceremorphosis. He will try to get help escaping, and given a chance he'll turn on the PCs, maybe even trying to crack open one's head with a weapon in order to eat their brain. The potential for shenanigans in the city exists if this NPC escapes into Ptolus.

Once their exploration of the citadel is finished and the party returns to the beholder, it will expect a full report as well as the share of treasure it demanded at the start. Anything less than it expects will trigger an attack. The party needs to be ready for that eventuality. Escaping from the beholder without vanquishing the foe will leave them with a recurring enemy.

Overall the module will probably be great fun to play through and players will get a good sense of the culture of both illithid and their abnormal variants.