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.

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. 

A Race Against Time - Dungeon Magazine 81

A Race Against Time is an adventure that years ago I wrote off without much of a thought because it wasn't a match for the campaign I was running, and it didn't appeal to me. Decades later, and running a Ptolus campaign, it deserves a second look. This scenario will take some re-engineering. 

The premise is that a criminal has decided to break his friend and superior Bruce "Bruiser" Holloway out of prison while wreaking as much destruction and death as he can, and play a challenging game. The death and destruction is an overly elaborate distraction for the jail break. Gecko, as he is known, is crazy that way.

Gecko has gotten his hands on some magic bombs that will go off at a set time at various places throughout the city. We'll come back to the discussion of his source for these bombs in a bit. 

Who Gecko and Bruiser work for could be interesting. They are not highly placed in the criminal food chain, but aren't bottom feeders either, they have underlings. Their list of crimes don't sound like the kinds of things the Longfingers Guild would be involved with. Extortion and Murder are more in line with both the Balacazars and the Killraven Crime League. They aren't in the know when it comes to where secret operations of allies are hidden so one of the targets I selected would still work. I chose Killraven.

The first problem to solve is how to, or if to involve the prison. In Ptolus the prison is in a very different place than most would imagine. It's not a building on the surface, but is deep below ground, accessible by boat from the Bay of Ptolus.

It seems that a better option might be to have Bruiser not yet in prison, but awaiting trial in a City Watch jail cell. Which one is up for you to decide since they are all over the city. Recommendation is to pick one far from any of the planned bombing targets. We'll return to this as well shortly.

Player characters get involved while in a busy market, definitely North Market since it is described as being crowded with merchant stalls. A flying snake approaches bearing a scroll along with one of these magic bomb crystals, and won't leave the PCs alone until they take the message. This thing could easily be the familiar of Gecko's sister, an arcane spellcaster.

Reading the message starts the countdown for the detonation of the Fire Crystal. Getting rid of safely is the first challenge of many. The message explains the nature of the "game" and provides clues to the seven other crystals locations. 

Originally the gargets included a blacksmith shop, the privy at an administration building where the Duke might be working, a College of Astronomy, the courthouse, the base of a dam, a tavern on the docks, and the town square. There are some easy parallels for a few, but other will require thought.

Clues and Targets:

Clue #1 can remain the same. It's vague enough to provoke thinking and hesitation, but working with NPCs in the story can aid the PCs if they're stuck.

There are many blacksmiths and other smithies in Ptolus. Narrowing down just one might be tough, and a small shop doesn't provide for massive damage and casualties. The obvious target becomes the Foundry in the Guildsman District. There's a secret Shuul operation below it, but even a Killraven agent wouldn't have a clue about its presence.

Clue #2 can also remain as it is written.

The natural location for the second target is the Administration Building in Oldtown. It might not specifically be the Commissar's throne, since he doesn't actually have one, but it is where his decisions are handed down from and they do have a privy.

Clue #3 Keep the third clue as well. Again NPCs can help narrow it down.

Third would be the Temple Observatory of the Watcher of the Skies in the Temple District. More for show than for casualties.

Clue #4 is fine as it stands.

Wanting to hurt the legal system which is making their lives difficult, the obvious choice is the courthouse and a specific judge. Oldtown.

Clue #5 needs the last two lines rewritten. I suggest the following: Beneath a pillar of faith and stone, To keep it all abridged.

Ptolus doesn't have a reservoir with a dam, so how about the Blessed Bridge crossing from Midtown into the Temple District. This time he's going for casualties, and it might piss off a bunch of religions.

Clue #6 this one also works, though vague. Some searching around the building might be enough to solve the riddle.

The adventure identifies the Docks location as a tavern called The Moxy Maiden and there's a chance it and some other buildings nearby could burn down. I would stick with that instead of involving important locations from the setting. I considered the legal brothel, Esser's because it is the only place less likely to be tied directly to organized crime or if so, the Balacazars.

Clue #7 is another that can remain the same way it is given in the original module.

Delver's Square is another obvious location for clues to lead the party, but from there it becomes less obvious. The clue is actually pointing to a mirror in the window of an antique shop in which you can see the reflection of a confection shop. There is room for these in Delver's Square so that's not a problem. The antique shop can sit between Bull and Bear Armory and the Watchhouse. The bakery/confectionary can be to the immediate right of Potters. The actual target is a children's hospital nearby and the bomb is in the sewers beneath the building. This hospital makes sense to be the building directly southwest of St. Gustav's Chappel.

Of course there is an eighth location where a Fire Crystal is being planted and that's the Watchhouse where Bruiser is being held. The clues to that come from Gecko's sister as she tries to steer the party there for her purposes without being revealed as working at cross purposes to her crazy brother.

The goal then is for the characters to prevent as many of the bombings as possible and to stop the jailbreak.

For the location of the jail where Bruce Holloway is confined there are plenty of choices that are far from all the chaos. Of the districts that aren't involved, we can rule out both the Necropolis and the Warrens. We're left with Nobles Quarter which is unlikely since they would be pushing for quicker resolutions in court, Rivergate, and South Market. Either of those districts seem ok, but perhaps Rivergate is better since it has a bridge leading directly to Oldtown where the court is located.

Regarding where Gecko got his explosives, here's where a future adventure can spring from. In the original module the source was a disgruntled mage that had been exiled from the city. You could keep that or maybe have his source be a Drow spellcaster seeking to do harm to the city and its people. There are a number of disguised dark elves in Ptolus so this is easy to make happen. Gecko wouldn't even have to be aware of his source's true identity.

D&D For Sale - update

 This seems to be the most accurate information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSMThxKiQUk

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/tencent-is-reportedly-seeking-to-acquire-dungeons-dragons-from-hasbro/?fbclid=IwAR2M7hu_bjNLKPa7mQPObK5Zj2d-_pvvjGuBxyJvLEdtHciNMiM8ud_tq70

D&D For Sale

 Waiting for more details and confirmation, but rumors are that Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast are in talks to sell the Dungeons and Dragons IP to Tencent. 

50 Years of Dungeons and Dragons

 I've been playing for 43 of the 50 years D&D has existed. 

Stage Fright - Dungeon Magazine 77

Here's one ripe for expanding a bit. It begins in a theatre which can be just about anywhere in Ptolus. This one would probably be in Midtown or one of the two Market districts.

The plot involves a mishap during a summoning that was supposed to be a scary special effect for a play.

In the original scenario a Red Slaad gets summoned, gets out of a flawed magic circle, kills a bunch of actors, implants one with an egg, and then poof, back to it's plane of origin. We know that last part won't work in Ptolus so it most likely goes out on the town. If it did go rampaging there could be other infections to deal with. 

Most likely the City Watch or some nearby delvers would have taken the Slaad down. Maybe the characters were the delvers that happened to be there. Plant that encounter in the campaign some time before this scenario.

Three months are almost up and the Slaad Tadpole inside the theatre owner is about to burst out of him.

The scenario intends for the player characters to be in the audience when things go wrong again. Maybe they received tickets to this show as thanks for their help last time.

The lead actor and theatre owner hatches the tadpole from his insides right on stage and promptly dies. The tadpole rips up a piece of the stage floor and slithers into the basement.

It's here that we see if the PCs will jump into action or let matters get worse. Delaying action gives the Slaad time to morph into more mature forms becoming much more dangerous.

If the characters defeat the Slaad, the City Watch will show up shortly afterward.

The theatre will go out of business after this event. Maybe a bard character will show interest in buying the place.

Fruit of the Vine - Dungeon Magazine 76

 This is another of those, made for one session, type of adventures. It will fit well in Ptolus' Midtown district.

Somehow a Yellow Musk Creeper that hybridized with an Olive Slime has taken root on an abandoned property that was once owned by a delver. An interested party is looking for a new place and goes in to investigate, becoming infected.

The infected individual is acting on a compulsion to draw others in to get infected.

An encounter in the market is what gets the player characters involved. Ideally they go to investigate the house.

In the abandoned house here's a comedic beat concerning a bathroom filled with potentially explosive gas and having a stuck door.

The chimney contains a slimy cat zombie.

Out in the garden shed are three dog zombies. Bits of food litter the yard and have been put there to lure animals in to become infected.

The corpse of the former owner can be found in the bedroom. He stole from the wrong person and was poisoned. This can lead to another adventure because the trapped ring he stole that killed him was meant for the wife of someone the carrier wanted to marry, and needed to get the wife out of the way.

There's a box of adventuring gear under the bed that includes a dagger with a command word on the blade. This lets the wielder turn invisible.

Destroying the Olive Creeper results in victims that have not yet become slime zombies recovering. You may want to complicate this just a bit by requiring a low level restoration spell or cure disease.

One Year Ago the OGL Scandal Broke.

 January 4th of 2023 delivered the news of what Wizbro was up to in the way of trying to revoke the irrevocable Open Game License. The backlash was immediate and huge. It eventually led to them walking things back and putting 5e into a Creative Commons license by way of apology.

You can easily find a wealth of information about the matter on YouTube and elsewhere so I won't belabor the point in this post.

MCDM RPG - Yup, 4e on Steroids.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C1HNP0H3Zw

I have come to the conclusion that at present, this isn't for me. I cancelled my pledge on Backerkit and my Patreon subscription. I will revisit this in mid 2025.