Tomb of the Lich
The Cataclysm & The War of the Lance
The current year for our homebrewed Dragonlance campaign is set during 381AC.
Inspired By Trampas Whiteman
3) Entrance:
Even a bit of daylight entering through this narrow
crack in the side of the mountain or a torch will reveal
that this is an unusual tunnel. Bright, brilliant colors are to be seen everywhere,
the stones and pigments undimmed by the passage of decades.
(USE ILLUSTRATION #3 NOW.) The floor of the corridor is a colorful
mosaic of stone, with a distinct, winding path of red tiles about
2' wide (the line snaking its way south down the corridor) easily
visible to the onlooker, (See special note regarding the pit traps at
the end of this paragraph.) No stonework can be seen on the walls
or the ceiling 20' above, (for some sort of cement or plaster has
been smoothed over all of these surfaces and then illustrated. The
scenes painted show fields with kine grazing, a copse with several
wolves in the background, slaves (human, goblin, elven, and strange
human-animal mixture - pig-human, ape-human, and dog-human)
going about various tasks. Certain of the frescoes show rooms of
some building - a library filled with many books and scrolls, a torture
chamber, a wizard’s work room (see 4, below for more details
of this area). There are chairs, windows, boxes, bales, doors, chests,
birds, bats, spiders and all manner of things shown on the walls.
All Pits:
Those that step upon a pit lid will have a base 100% of falling, modified downwards
by 1 % per point of dexterity through 12, and 2% for each
point above 12, i.e. dexterity of 13 = 14% chance of not falling into a
pit, dexterity of 14 = 16%, 15 = 18%, 16 = 20%, 17 = 22%, and 18
dexterity = 24% chance of not going in. At the bottom of each pit are
5 iron spikes coated with poison.
Roll d6 to determine how many
spikes wound the victim: 1, 2, and 3 meaning that number of spikes
have wounded the victim, 4-6 equal NONE HAVE WOUNDED the
character. Each spike causes 1-6 hit points of damage, and the victim
must make a saving throw versus poison for each spike which
wounds him of her. Any failure means the victim is killed by the poison.
A) On the right wall of this hallway you see a torture chamber painted on the wall. (Describe it)
The wall hiding this passage On the wall shows a painting of the iron door which evidently
confines some sort of a horrid creature (its taloned and scaled
hands grasp the bars of its small window) which can be loosed to
torment prisoners. If the plaster behind it is broken away,
a normal, inward opening door will be revealed.
B) If the pattern of the floor has been carefully observed and studied
from the entrance to this point, the individual with such perseverance
will be rewarded by suddenly understanding that a message
is contained in barely noticeable runes in the mosaic floor. It says:
«ACERERAK CONGRATULATES YOU ON YOUR POWERS OF OBSERVATION. SO MAKE
OF THIS WHATEVER YOU WISH, FOR YOU WILL BE MINE IN THE END NO MATTER WHAT»
«Go back to the tormentor or through the arch,
and the second great hall you’ll discover.
Shun green if you can, but night’s good color
is for those of great valor.
If shades of red stand for blood the wise
will not need sacrifice aught but a loop of
magical metal - you’re well along your march.
Two pits along the way will be found to lead
to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall.
These keys and those are most important of all,
and beware of trembling hands and what will maul.
If you find the false you find the true
and into the columned hall you’ll come,
and there the throne that’s key and keyed.
The iron men of visage grim do more than
meets the viewer’s eye.
You’ve left and left and found my Tomb
and now your soul will die.»
4) Fresco of the Wizardly Workroom:
Two jackalheaded human figures are painted so
as to appear to be holding a real bronze chest. If this box is examined
closely, the viewer will note that it is hinged on the bottom so
as to allow the lid to swing down if a catch on top is pressed. The
catch has an easily detectable poison needle trap, and this can be
avoided easily by pressing the stud with a dagger pommel, etc.
However, when the box opens, it will appear to be absolutely empty,
but if a character actually feels inside the chest he or she will find a
rod which stands vertically from the bottom.
This lever moves easily - If it is pulled with any force, it will open the shaded trapdoor
which covers a 30' deep pit (spiked and poisoned as are all traps
of this sort here) which will inflict 3-18 (3d6) hit points of damage to
all who fall within, exclusive of spike damage.
Note: This trap door is 3' thick and cannot be detected by sounding or by any magic
which detects secret doors, or even traps. True seeing will reveal
a fine rectangle where the stone plug is, but it will not show what it
does. Once triggered, the pit remains open thereafter.
5) THE ARCH OF MIST:
The stone archway before you is filled with a veil of thick
vapors. The stones on either side of the base and the keystone
protrude slightly from the stones around them. As
you move to within touching distance, the left-hand base
stone begins to glow yellow, the right-hand base stone
orange, and the keystone seven feet above blue.
Nothing (even magic) will cause the vapors to clear. No magic allows
sight through the vapors, until the glowing
stones are pressed in the proper sequence: yellow, blue,
orange. If this is done, the vapors disappear, and the
path appears to go eastward.
If the archway is entered when it is clouded, those
characters doing so will be instantly teleported to area 7.
If it is passed through after pressing the glowing stones
in proper sequence, those who step through while
following the path will be teleported to area 11, and
those who pass through off the path will be sent back
to area 3.
6) THE FACE OF THE GREAT GREEN DEVIL:
On the wall before you is a sculpture of a demon
face formed of mosaic tiles. The face has a huge O of a
mouth, inside of which the space is dead black.
Aura. The devil face radiates an aura of transmutation
magic if detect magic is used on it, and a casting of
detect evil and good or a paladin's use of Divine Sense
reveals it as a desecrated place.
Mouth Trap. The mouth opening is similar to a
sphere of annihilation, but it is about 3 feet in diameter-
plenty of room for those who wish to leap in and be
completely and forever destroyed. A character who examines
the mouth and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence
identifies the trap for what it is.
7) THE FORSAKEN PRISON:
This miserable cubicle appears to have absolutely no
means of escape. Three iron levers, each about one foot
long, protrude from the south wall of the chamber.
Even a magical means of detection will not indicate any way out of this place.
Levers: The iron levers can be moved horizontally
or vertically, singly or in combination. Only the act of
moving all three together upward or downward has any
results. Moving them up opens a small trapdoor in the
center of the ceiling 10 feet above. Pushing them simultaneously
down opens the entire floor to a 100-foot-deep
pit with no exit. The floor returns to a closed position
in 10 minutes, sealing any victim inside the pit until another
creature triggers the floor trap again.
Crawl Space:
The ceiling route is a crawl space some
3 feet square. At the place it turns east there is a plug in
the ceiling, which can be detected only with magic or if
a character has sense enough to check for secret doors.
A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception)
check can find the door. Also, anyone who raps or
sounds on the ceiling in the door's area hears it is hollow,
indicating a space beyond. Eventually the small tunnel
leads to a magical one-way door, which opens in the
pit side as shown, and players are back to square one.
8) GARGOYLE LAYER:
What appeared to be a statue an instant ago comes to
life before your eyes. The creature flaps its wings and
stares at you.
Gargoyle
AC [15], HD 12 (64hp), Att 6x
(2d4, 2d4, 2d4, 2d4, 3d4, 1d6)
Special Att: If 2 claws hit (additional 7 damage),
MV 60’
AL Chaotic,
XP 1,260
▶ Treasure: (Around Neck: Studded Collar With multiple gems 1000stl value total)
Hidden in a secret compartment behind the Gargoyle, DC9
Faceplate easily slides off. Inside is a [Bag of Holding with 6,000stl] (Max 25,000 coins)
and a slip of parchment with the following written on it in magical
code (requiring comprehend languages to understand):
"Look low and high for gold, to hear a tale untold. Take
the archway at the end, and on your way you'll wend."
Beneath the runes, the initial "A" is inscribed.
9) COMPLEX OF SECRET DOORS:
The small room beyond the door is empty and appears to
have no other exits.
The south wall contains the first in a series of secret
doors. Each of these portals requires a successful DC
15 Wisdom (Perception) check to find and must be
opened by hand using a particular method, as follows:
A. Pull down and inward (hinged on bottom)
B. Pivot on central hinge
C. Pull inward and up at bottom (hinged on top)
D. Slide up
E. Pull double panels inward (hinged on sides)
F. Slide left
G. Door has seven studs in a row--pressall at once and
door opens, but press 1 and 7 and the door falls inward.
A character pressing the studs or near enough
to do so must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving
throw or take 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage from the
falling door.
Bolts from Above: Each round that characters are in
any of the rooms inside the complex of secret doors, a
number of bolts will be fired into the area from hidden
devices in the walls and ceilings, and there is a 50 percent
chance that one character, randomly determined,
in each such area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity
saving throw or take 5 (ldlO) piercing damage. There is
no way to prevent the bolts from being triggered.
10) GREAT HALL OF SPHERES:
Dust cloaks the contents of this twenty-foot-wide hall.
Six alcoves line the walls, three to the north and three to
the south. Each alcove except the southwest one holds a
humanoid figure carved of red-veined white marble. The
figures resemble elves in plate armor. A stone archway
at the west end of the hall opens into a wide room
from which greenish light glows. A dark pit is situated
before the archway.
Hallway. A successful DC 10 Wisdom
(Perception) check reveals that the dust in the hall
is disturbed by tracks, though the tracks are filled in enough that the
disturbance must have occurred dozens of years ago.
A successful DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check enables a
character to determine that the tracks were made by
humanoid feet with claw-like nails.
Spiked Pit. The pit is 10 feet deep, and its bottom is
filled with spikes that deal (2d10) piercing damage
to a creature that falls in, as well as falling damage (1d6).
The walls of the pit are rough, and they offer handholds to
climbers.
11) THE THREE ARMED STATUE:
When you enter this smallish room you will Immediately see what appears to be a
broken, 8' tall statue of a 4-armed gargoyle,
with a broken off 4th arm on the floor nearby. No amount of
fooling around with the broken arm will enable it to be replaced,
and the statue will do nothing at all meanwhile. If they go to messing with statue . . .
a magic mouth spell to speak the following words:
«YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER ENTERED THIS PLACE»
12) TRAPPED FALSE DOOR:
At this location, as well as several
others throughout the Tomb, there are false doors which screen a
spear trap. (When one of these doors is opened, hand the players
ILLUSTRATION #12.) A spear will shoot out, and the door
opener(s) or any others standing before it are subject to be struck.
Determine at random, if need be, which character is the target,
and that player must then make a saving throw versus magic to
avoid taking 2-16 (2d8) hit points of damage. When the door is
closed and re-opened, another spear will fire.
13) CHAMBER OF THREE CHESTS:
When you enter the
crawlway it begins to glow a soft crimson red. As you follow the crawlway
it comes to a dead end, but a bit of examination will easily
discover (4 in 6) a secret door. The character opening the secret door
the floor drops from beneath them 10' below by a tilting stone at the
mouth of the crawlway, and an automatic 1-6 hit points damage
sustained. At this juncture show the players ILLUSTRATION #13A.
The large chests are affixed firmly to the floor; the 1st is gold, the
2nd is silver, the 3rd is oak bound with thick bronze bands. Each is
about 4' long, 2' wide, and 3' high. In these containers are:
Gold: 12 large asps (H.P.: 9 each; AC 14;
attack as 3 hit dice monsters; cause 1 h.p. of damage
only when biting, but saves versus their poison are at
-2) will slither out and attack next round. They are fast
(12" move) and will continue biting until all are killed.
(USE GRAPHIC #13B)
Silver: Holds a small box with ring (protection +1) in a
clear crystal box (worth 1000 g.p.). When this box is
lifted from the supposed bottom of the chest, 8 darts
will fire upwards, and 1-2 characters (maximum which
can be in the line of fire) will take 1-4 hits each if they
are exposed to the path of these missiles. (Actually
reaching in and removing the case is exposure!) Damage
is 1-6 hit points per dart, with no saving throws
Wood: When the lid is opened, an animated skeleton of a giant
will be instantly teleported into the chest, and it will
always strike first. The thing wields 2 (non-magical)
scimitars, and it attacks twice/round for 2-12 h.p. of
damage per hit. The skeleton has 32 h.p., AC 2, and
attacks as a 10 hit dice monster. All edged weapon hits
upon it cause only 1 h.p. of damage, but blunt ones
score normal damage. Magic does not affect this monster,
and it cannot be turned. Holy water will cause 1-4
hit points of damage. (USE GRAPHIC #13D)
14) CHAPEL OF EVIL:
You have crawled along the small tunnel until
reaching the end, only to find it is solid stone.
[It requires a 1 in
6 to find the secret door at the passage end, no matter what
the race of the character examining the area, and no form of
magic will detect it, save the gem of seeing.]
Once inside,
you see what is obviously some form of temple area -
there are scenes of normal life painted on the walls,
but the people have rotting flesh, skeletal hands, worms eating them, etc.
Yet there are also depicted various religious symbols of good.
[A faint aura of good can be magically detected. What a
puzzle! Could the demi-lich actually have been of good alignment?]
There is a mosaic path leading to the altar, and to either side great
wooden pews face the worship area. (All of these benches have
hinged seats.
[The back pair of pews have 4,000 s.p. each hidden
therein, the next pair have 3,000 electrum pieces each, the next
have 2,000 g.p. each, and the front pair have gas traps - a cloud
of gas will fill the whole chapel in 2 rounds after opening the pew
bottom, and all in the place will lose 2d12 hp)]
A wooden railing divides the room, and south of it is the
altar, a tiered dais with a wooden chair (nicely carved and podded
but unremarkable), 2 large brass candelabra holding 5 white
candles each, and in each corner a large white pottery urn stoppered
with a brass and wood plug. A human skeleton in black
chain mail (badly rusted and torn) points to a glowing orange archway.
Area A:
This block of strange material glows
with an inner light.
(A very faint evil can be defected 2 in 6 per
round of detection.) If the thing is touched by living matter it
will send a lightning bolt 40' long and 8' wide shooting up the
aisle - base 40 hit points of damage, save versus magic reduces
the hit points to 20. After this bolt streaks forth, the
altar turns a fiery blue-red and if it’s touched by any object it
will explode doing base 60 hit points of damage to all creatures
within a 30' radius (saving throw reduces damage by
50%).
Area B:
The skeleton
on the floor of the chapel room is outstretched and pointing
to the arch. None of the stones of the arch glow, but the
entranceway is filled with luminous orange vapors of an vibrant
hue.
[These vivid orange mists cannot be penetrated
with any sort of vision or magic. The skeleton, of course, misleads
the party, for any character passing through the portal
will enter a 10' x 10' taking 3d10 damage. Exiting the room back to room 14 the character will once again take 3d10 damage].
Area C:
[Secret door 1-in-6 chance of finding]
15) STONE GATE:
You step into a hallway with stone steps going down 20 feet.
[The three traps are noticed (if searching) on a 2-in-6 chance,
Falling down the trap is a 30 foot drop causing 3d6 damage. The secret door can be detected by 3-in-6.]
16) LOCKED OAKEN DOOR:
The gate is heavily bound with iron
bands that are so close together that you cannot see past it and there are several obvious locks apparent.
[If a character listens
with an ear to the door, he or she will hear far-off music and
happy singing, obviously coming from somewhere beyond.]
[The only way through the gate is either physically destroying it or destroying it with magic]
Past the gate, you can see The walls of the
passage are of smooth white alabaster, and the floor is a very
smooth, highly polished smoke gray marble.
Once the
door is destroyed, sounds of confusion and running (away) sounds can
be heard from down the hall – all music and singing has ceased.
There is a faint glow (maybe torchlight?) in front of you.
As you walk down the hallway towards where the sound was coming from, you notice the tunnel apparently comes to a dead end.
[The tunnel floor is a counter-weighted beam. Its overbalancing
point is the 3rd square from the door, and when 1 or
more characters step there the (floor will begin to tilt downward
from the door north, with the north end quickly sinking.]
[Dex Save at -4 to avoid sliding, upon a failed save they fall 50ft. Once at bottom it is pitch black and not even magic lights up the bottom]
