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.

Lord of the Scarlet Tide - Dungeon Magazine 85

In Dungeon Magazine issue #85 is an adventure titled Lord of the Scarlet Tide. Written for 3rd edition it is simple enough to convert for 5e. While the adventure as written is somewhat bland, the core elements can slide into a Ptolus campaign with little adjustment.

The premise revolves around a trapped powerful aberration being partially freed. I'm changing things so that someone took a magical tablet (one of five) that holds the necessary information for keeping it imprisoned. The creature causes a fungal disease to spread from its prison far below the city. Getting the tablet back where it belongs and performing the ritual to recapture the creature or defeating the monster is the goal.

The ideas and some encounters lend themselves easily to Ptolus. The big bad could easily be Galchutt. There’s also a non-typical mind flayer using what can pass perfectly as chaositech. Infected townsfolk, a behir, kuo toa (who originally imprisoned the thing), and ghosts are encounters to be had.

I originally intended to use this in my first Ptolus campaign for one of my two groups. Never got around to it before the campaign came to a halt.

I planned to have Castle Shard send the characters to a high end auction being secretly held. They would be told as cover to bid on whatever they chose (limited budget of 2,000 gold) while remembering everything being auctioned and report back. That is where they would learn about the tablet and its connection to the disease, or similar info that helps put the clues together.

Coffee? Don't Mind if I do!

 Time for more shameless self promotion. The blog's Zazzle store has these mugs and some other things for sale. Follow this link to see what's available. If you like something order it. Thanks!

http://www.zazzle.com/tdaalmerch*     <----- Link

Below are the designs on three other mugs. Pardon the duplication of images. The banner design mug image copied fine, but the rest came out, well, not as mugs.

There are cards with these images, you can send to folks for whatever reason or to invite them to a special game session. 

Also there are a banner pin and a banner magnet available.

Magic Item - Dagger of Mourning

The blade sank deep into the goblin's chest and it dropped lifeless to the cavern floor. Without any obvious explanation Narmen dropped to his knees and began weeping and wailing about what he had done to the poor goblin. 

"Get it together , man. We're in a fight! What's wrong with you?!" Embuk stepped close to his grieving friend just in time to shove his rapier through the eye of a charging goblin.

Dagger of Mourning (cursed)

This ornately decorated Adamantine dagger +2 is an enemy of both goblins and golems, doing an extra 1d4 of damage on any strike against these foes, but it comes with a dangerous curse. The dagger influences the carrier to choose it over other melee weapons in a fight. (DC15 Wisdom saving throw to resist). If the dagger scores the killing blow against any opponent the wielder must succeed on a DC15 Wisdom saving throw or be instantly overcome with intense grief at the killing or destruction of the victim. The user will cease all activity and begin loudly crying and lamenting the enemy's death. The saving through may be repeated at the end of each turn.

Item Availability: Rare. User 5th level or higher. Cost 501 - 5,000 gold pieces.

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.

Magic Item (Legendary) - Crown of Harrowing

One of many powerful tools available to Ghul and his minions, this is the original Crown of Harrowing created by Ghul himself. A number of Lesser versions exist.

Made of iron and set with dozens of bloodstones, this is a weapon of intimidation, domination, and murder.

The wearer has the following abilities:

Intimidation attempts receive the wearer's Proficiency Bonus. This may double the Proficiency Bonus for using this effect.

The Crown has 7 charges that may be spent for the following effects:

1 charge - Causes 4d8 Psychic damage to a single creature. For each additional charge it affects one additional creature, Creatures must make a DC17 Wisdom saving throw. Success results in half damage.

2 charges - Inflicts 1 level of exhaustion on a single creature. Targeted creatures must make a DC17 Constitution saving throw. Failure results in accumulating 1 level of exhaustion.

3 charges - Casts Charm Person on up to 8 creatures within 30 feet of each other. DC17 Wisdom saving throw. Success avoids the effect.

4 charges - Casts Dominate Person on a single creature with the effect lasting 8 hours. Targeted creature is entitled to make a DC17 Wisdom saving throw to avoid the effect.

Regains 1d6 charges each midnight. If all charges are used in a 24 hour period roll 1d20. On a result of 1 the crown rusts and crumbles losing all magical function.

Curse: The wearer begins to lose their hair in patches over the course of a month. All Charisma based skills such as Diplomacy, Persuasion, Perform, etc, with the exception of Intimidate which is enhanced, suffer disadvantage on the attempt. Remove Curse cast on Hallowed Ground is required to undo this permanent affliction.

Item Availability = Legendary. User 17th level or higher. Cost 50,001+ gold pieces. 

Magic Item - Lesser Crown of Harrowing

One of many powerful tools available to Ghul's minions.

Made of iron and set with dozens of bloodstones, this is a weapon of intimidation, domination, and murder.

The wearer has the following abilities:

Intimidation attempts receive the wearer's Proficiency Bonus. This may double the Proficiency Bonus for using this effect.

The Crown has 4 charges that may be spent for the following effects:

1 charge - Causes 2d8 Psychic damage to a single creature. For each additional charge it affects one additional creature, Creatures must make a DC14 Wisdom saving throw. Success results in half damage.

2 charges - Inflicts 1 level of exhaustion on a single creature. Targeted creatures must make a DC14 Constitution saving throw. Failure results in accumulating 1 level of exhaustion.

3 charges - Casts Charm Person on up to 4 creatures within 30 feet of each other. DC14 Wisdom saving throw. Success avoids the effect.

Regains 1d3 charges each midnight. If all charges are used in a 24 hour period roll 1d20. On a result of 1 the crown rusts and crumbles losing all magical function.

Curse: The wearer begins to lose their hair in patches over the course of a month. All Charisma based skills such as Diplomacy, Persuasion, Perform, etc, with the exception of Intimidate which is enhanced, suffer disadvantage on the attempt. Remove Curse cast on Hallowed Ground is required to undo this permanent affliction.

Item Availability = Rare. User 5th level or higher. Cost 501 - 5,000 gold pieces. 

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)

Magic Item - Gloves of the Seamstress

Rembaud cast his detect magic spell on the pile of accumulated treasure. One item stood out immediately. "There", pointing at a pair of gloves.

Embuk picked them up. "Pretty, a gift for you", he smiled and handed them to Mercilinda.

Mercilinda took the fine green silk gloves, admiring the gold silk embroidery as she put them on. As she looked around admiring them she noticed the dagger slice in Embuk's leather armor. "I see it! I see it!

Embuk looked puzzled as she reached over and let the gloves go to work. The hole mended at a touch.

"There, good as new."

Gloves of the Seamstress is a simple and elegant item. The wearer can look at any damaged or broken item and immediately see the pattern of how to put it back together allowing for repairs. After assembling the damaged item into the correct placement the gloves cast a Mending cantrip to begin the repair process.

Item Availability: Common. User 1st level or higher. Cost 50 - 100 gold pieces.

Magic Item - Named Morningstar (Creature)

Plurin spat a curse, raised Creature above his head and summoned a Dretch between himself and the interlopers. He commanded it to attack, then he spun on his heel and slipped away through the secret door.

Named Morningstar (Creature)

Creature is a cursed morningstar +1 (1d8+1 piercing damage) with the ability to summon a Dretch under the wielder's control, for 1 minute at the cost of reducing the wielder's maximum hit point total by 5 for 24 hours. Reductions can accumulate. After a short rest the weapon regains the ability to summon. Using the summon ability requires attunement.

Curse: Attunement to Creature prevents the wielder from using or attuning to any other weapon. The wielder must succeed on a DC13 Wisdom saving throw to resist the urge to engage in melee with enemies. The saving throw may be repeated at the end of the user's turn. Removing the curse requires the casting of a Remove Curse spell. 

Item Availability: Uncommon. User 1st level or higher. Cost 101 - 500 gold pieces.

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.

New Monster - Telluric Slink

We'll be reskinning and modifying the Carrion Crawler to create this monster. The base stats are in the 5e Monster Manual page 37.

Telluric Slinks were created in one of the many laboratories within Ghul's Labyrinth below Ptolus. They are one of a vast number of aberrations born into the Squirming Horde and unleashed against the forces of good during the Ghul War.

Nearly 9' long and weighing close to 600lbs., the Slink is covered in a thick mass of long black hair. Its bulbous head has two slavering mouths filled with jagged teeth. Jutting out of where its eyes would be are two nest-like bundles of fine metal wires.

An apt description of the creature would be "an enormous hairy slug made of muscle, electricity, and evil".

Below are the changes to the Carrion Crawler. All other stats remain as written.

Increase the Armor Class to 14

Replace the climb speed with a swim speed of 10'

Replace Darkvision with Blindsense, same range.

Remove Keen Smell, Spider Climb and all Carrion Crawler attacks.

Add Immunity to electricity.

Modify the remainder as follows:

Multiattack. The Telluric Slink makes two attacks. Two bites against the same target or one bite and one sweeping slam against separate targets.

Sweeping Slam. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5' one or more creatures directly to either the left or right of the Telluric Slink. Hit: 2d6+2 bludgeoning damage and the target must make a DC13 Dexterity saving throw or become prone.

Bite. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5' one creature. Hit: 1d6+2 piecing damage.

Telluric Burst. All creatures within 10' of the Telluric Slink must make a DC13 Dexterity saving throw or take 3d6 electric damage. Recharge 5-6.

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.

Dungeon of the Fire Opal - Dungeon Magazine 84 (Part 1: areas 0 through 6)

The Dungeon of the Fire Opal as it is called here, is a restocking/reimagining of the original sample dungeon from the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide. I used to stare at that section of the 1e DMG and mentally try to stock the rest of the dungeon. Only the first few rooms were described since it was being given as an example of play.

With the launch of 3rd edition D&D they revisited the dungeon map, fully stocking it and giving it a background story, that of the ruin of a monastery once run by evil monks who had a great treasure in the form of a fist shaped fire opal reputed to have magic power.

Since I'm going through issues of Dungeon Magazine looking for adventures to link to a Ptolus campaign, I thought it might be fun to once again take this classic map and restock it to represent a section of Ghul's Labyrinth beneath the city.

Occasionally it might be interesting to reskin and modify a monster, and to make new traps and events to experience. 

So let's get started: If you need a quest giver to send the party on their way consider Wynn Rabinall, leader of the Order of the Fist. He has received word that a magic item in the form of a fist shaped fire opal may be in this area of the dungeons. He has asked the group to check out the rumor.

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. 

Area 0: Beyond the shattered remains of what was once a glass and bronze door is a polished pale green set of steps leading ahead and downward 30 feet.

Area 1: The pale green stone here matches that of the stairway, smooth and polished, appearing almost as if it is a single piece. The scent of ash from a recent fire meets your nose.

A - In the center of the room is a pile of ash and charcoal from where someone recently lit a fire. Around the remains of the fire are sooty footprints leading back toward the stairs. On the ceiling directly above where the fire had been is a soot stain.

B - In the corner is a pile of torn cloth. Investigating the scraps of cloth reveal by their smell that they once held bits of hard cheese and jerky.

C - Down this short hallway is a stout wooden door slightly ajar. The sound of running water can be heard from beyond the portal.

Area 2: The door opens into a cave chamber with a ceiling height of 15feet. There is a stream running through it with a wider pool toward the far end. Laying face down near the center of the room is a plate armor clad body with its head submerged in the pool. It is wearing a sword in its sheath and has a backpack still strapped on. In the pool can be seen small white fish lacking eyes. The fast flowing stream is clean and fresh.

Encounter - The body is a mimic that took this form when it detected noise in area 1. It will attack if disturbed. 5e Monster Manual page 220.

 Area 3: The ceiling here is 30 feet high. The walls here are of a sickly yellow colored stone. Along the east and west walls are a total of 6 semi-transparent glass and steel cylinders, 12 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter. Four of them are filled with a greyish liquid and large shadowy forms can be seen floating inside. Two along the east wall are broken, the liquid spilled across the floor. There is a strange wet form laying on the floor half out of one of the broken cylinders. The creature is a log mass of hair with a bulbous head. Protruding from what passes for eye sockets are nests of fine metal wires.

A - Creatures crossing the threshold into this chamber must make a DC12 Charisma saving throw. Success results in a tingling sensation along their arms and back. Creatures failing the roll also suffer 1d6 Psychic damage and have the poisoned condition for 1 minute. Additional saves may be made at the end of the creature's turn to end the condition. Creatures succeeding on the saving throw or for whom the condition ends are immune to the effect for 24 hours.

B - Metal scaffolding is erected along the south wall reaching to a height of 20 feet. The center 30 feet of wall beginning 10 feet above the floor are covered with large steel panels. The center section of steel panels conceals a wide secret door. 

Areas 4 & 5: Stored here are basic supplies including lengths of rope, leather sacks, iron spikes, lamp oit, shovels, pick axes, hammers, and the like. The rooms have obviously been explored and several crates have been opened. Hidden in the secret crawl space (3 foot by 3 foot) between rooms 4 & 5 is a small chest containing 134 copper pieces, 76 silver pieces, 13 gold pieces, and 3 small pieces of jade worth 25 gold each. The chest is locked and protected by a poison needle trap, DC15 perception check to detect. DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to avoid. Failure results in 2d10 poison damage and the poisoned condition for 1 hour.

Area 6: Immediately inside the door is a pit trap, 10 feet deep requiring a DC13 Dexterity check to avoid. The mechanism for disarming the trap and leaving the floor in place is to open the door outward. A well preserved human body lies at the bottom of the pit. If investigated it has a short sword, dagger, leather armor, and a potion of healing.

The surfaces of this room are coated in a thin rime of frost. The temperature is slightly below freezing. The walls are lined with metal shelves holding small crates of food stuffs including raw meat. Spaced every 10 feet on the ceiling are 1 foot by 1 foot metal boxes. These boxes cause 1d4 cold damage if touched. Breaking one open (Strength check DC 20 or 10 points of damage from blunt weapons) releases Brown Mold. 5e Dungeon Masters Guide page 105.

For every 1 minute of time spent in the room using a lit torch, the temperature drops 10 degrees. After a 30 degree and greater reduction, creatures are required to make a DC12 Constitution check. Failure results in 1d4 cold damage. When the temperature is reduced by 60 degrees or greater, another saving throw is required to avoid further cold damage and a level of exhaustion. These checks continue for every minute spent at these lower temperatures.

The Dice Are A Treasure Hoard

 My inner dice goblin recently went on a collecting binge and the results are interesting.

Here are some of the shiny, clickety-clackety math rocks I recently accumulated.

Also shown - Scroll of Rolling 2 which has compartments with containers for dice or miniatures. 

Magic Item: Mirror of Dire Portent

Brahl screamed in terror and pain as he stared into the mirror. "It has me! It has me!" 

The mirror had shown him a possible future in which he would suffer a horrible outcome. In this instance an unseen creature, obscured by mists or smoke, lashed onto him with barbed tentacles and began squeezing the life from him. The image was just an image, but the pain was very real.

Stenodus had placed the mirror here on purpose, surmising that his enemies would be vain and conceited, pausing to gaze into the dire device. His own earlier perusal had warned him of the flames that would consume much of his flesh when their sorcerer attacked. 

Mirror of Portent

The tall mirror is framed in a polished brass stand and bears the word Prophesy embossed above the glass.  Looking into the mirror results in the viewer receiving a full sensory experience of a possible future event. The vision requires the viewer to make a DC14 Wisdom saving throw. Failure results in 2d6 psychic damage and when the possible future comes about, suffering the frightened condition for up to one minute, and making a DC14 Wisdom saving throw to recover from the frightened condition at the beginning of each turn after the first turn. Success on the initial saving throw results in 1d6 psychic damage and no fear condition being imposed during the encounter or event depicted. All depictions are vague and uncertain, though very real to the person gazing into the mirror.

Ptolus Campaign Wayward Sons is Dust in the Wind

 After a long stretch of time dealing with vision problems I was trying to get the campaign back on track, but alas it is not to be.

I'm also trying to get the in-person group back to the table. We'll see if that happens.

Cuppity, Cup, Cup, Cup. Actually Mug.

 Time for more shameless self promotion. The blog's Zazzle store has these mugs and some other things for sale. Follow this link to see what's available. If you like something order it. Thanks!

http://www.zazzle.com/tdaalmerch*     <----- Link

Below are the designs on three other mugs. Pardon the duplication of images. The banner design mug image copied fine, but the rest came out, well, not as mugs.

There are cards with these images, you can send to folks for whatever reason or to invite them to a special game session. 

Also there are a banner pin and a banner magnet available.