by James Ryman

What I found was kind of uncomfortable. Where do half-orcs come from? What are the circumstances in which a half-orc is born and how are they treated growing up? 

Before we start, you might want to read this article by DM David: How D&D Shed the Troubling Implications of Half-Orcs.

1e Player's Handbook

"Orcs are fecund and create many cross-breeds, most of the offspring of such being typically orcish."
One-tenth of orc-human "mongrels" pass for human. This idea lasts for a few editions, but virtually all of the art of half-orcs depicts them as very similar in appearance to orcs.

Can speak common, orcish, and their "alignment language." Someone should bring back alignment languages. They are ridiculous, but fun.

They have infravision up to 60 feet. +1 to STR and CON. -2 to CHA. 

There is a big paragraph discussing multi-classed half-orcs and how to divide XP up between them. "All earned experience is always divided equally between the player's two classes, even though the character might no longer be able to progress upwards in level in one of the two classes." 1st edition was so unforgiving.

1e Monster Manual

Half-orcs are briefly discussed in the orc entry.

"As orcs will breed with anything, there are any number of unsavory mongrels with orcish blood, particularly orc-goblins, orc-hobgoblins, and orc-humans."

Orcs cannot cross-breed with elves.

Dragon Magazine #44 - Half-Orcs in a Variety of Styles

This article is written by Roger Moore, a man who wrote like he really loved his job. Jokes are flying left and right in this piece. He starts off by noting that there are no orc-goats, orc-hamsters, or orc-Balors.

"As a rule, orc crossbreeds involving less powerful creatures may be found in leadership positions in the race they live with, and crossbreeds with more powerful creatures are found in orcish clans as "tough guys" and sergeants." 

He goes into the concept of orcs mixing with different races. It definitely opens the door up to a lot of possibilities. Some of you might remember that Chris Perkins introduced a mysterious NPC on Dice, Camera, Action who was half-orc/half-dwarf.

On the one hand, making half-orc variants by combining them with dwarves, or halflings, or githyanki could lead to a lot of cool things. On the other hand, it might get to be a bit much and confusing, and redundant in some cases.

There are at least a few already out there. Volo's Guide to Monsters has the tanarukk, which is an orc/demon. The demon lord Baphomet "...corrupts an unborn orc of the tribe, transforming it at birth into a creature much more savage than an orc."

There is also the ogrillon, which is the result of an ogre and an orc mating.

Anyway, back to the article. We get stats for a number of half-orc types:

• Orc-Kobold: Can attain high status and leadership positions.
• Orc-Goblin: Can attain high status and leadership positions.
• Orc-Hobgoblin: Can be found as sergeants in orc armies.
• Orc-Gnoll
• Orc-Bugbear
• Orc-Ogre: "...govern with a lot of respect from their troops."

What's the deal with bugbears, anyway? Why do they have that name?  They seem kind of unnecessary, don't they? Maybe I should read up on them some day.

Half + Half Isn't Always Full

In the same issue, we have another article about half-orcs. The way this is written in such a casual manner really threw me.

We start off with an interesting question: Does a half-orc mating with a human produce a quarter-orc? Essentially, do human descendants with orc blood retain orcish traits and if so, how does that manifest in D&D terms if at all?

Then we get this statement: "Presumably a half-orc and a full orc produce quarter humans. Were such creatures to be sold as slaves in the early United States, the Census would reckon them (I assume) as 0.25x0.6, or 15% human."

The author discusses genetics a bit, going over how you can create a pink rose by crossing a white rose with a red rose. From this, he extrapolates the following:

• "A nice little nuclear half-orc family will therefore consist of two half-orc parents, two half-orc children, one orc child and one human child."
• A half-orc mating with a human will produce two half-orcs and two humans.
• A half-orc and orc will produce two half-orcs and two orcs.

Dragon Magazine #62 - Point of View: Half-Orcs

There's a full page just talking about how orcs live. We learn that some orcs have a dislike for "half-humans" among them, because they are aware that they possess more cunning. 

Half-orc adults living among orcs usually attain a position of power.

"A few cases are known of half-orc females rising to positions of power within a tribe; usually this female is either a warrior disguised as a male (who must flee or die if her deception is discovered), or a cleric for one of the few orcish religions that permit female shamans or clerics."

Half-orcs who grow up in human communities find themselves to be the objects of prejudice.  Some become neutral or even good-aligned. 

"Most of these retain an unnatural affinity for lawfulness and obedience, but are otherwise acceptable company."

Half-Orc Assassins: Many half-orcs become assassins (which was an actual character class in 1st edition). "Half-orc assassins often come to believe their actions are for the benefit of the world in general; they are culling out the unfit in the most direct way possible."

Some half-orcs create assassin guilds and have a retinue of underlings.

Half-orcs sometimes multiclass, becoming cleric/assassins. They are "invariably" death-worshipers, and try to personally bring death to as many beings as possible.

In 5e terms, does that mean there could be half-orc assassins who worship the Raven Queen?

Orcs and half-orcs dislike smaller humanoids because they are inevitably weaker, and these races are usually employed as slaves.

The article discusses why orcs and elves hate each other so much:

1. Elves see many sides to a problem, while orcs see only one.
2. Elves consider consequences to actions, while orcs are impulsive and rash.
3. Elves live for centuries, while orcs only live to the age of 40.

AD&D 2e Monstrous Compendium Volume I

Half-orcs are discussed in the orc entry. A lot of the info is the same as in 1st edition, except the stat stuff is updated to 2e. We learn a few new things:

• Half-orcs are distrusted by both human and orc cultures.
• They advance in human culture by associating with people who don't care about appearance.
• "Most tend toward neutrality with slight lawful and evil tendencies."
• Some half-orcs have split from both cultures to form their own societies in remote areas.
• "These half-orcs worship their own gods and (like most hermits) are extremely suspicious of strangers."

Dungeon Magazine #4 - Trouble at Grog's

by Daniel Horne

This adventure takes a stab at changing the approach to dealing with half-orcs and "half-monsters" in general.

A crime wave has hit the town of Dagger Rock, and the locals think Grog is responsible.

Many of Grog's employees are half-ogres. 

The bartender, Sevim Ronard, is a chaotic good half-orc. I am amused by the note in his stat block: "Sevim's abilities may be higher than the Player's Handbook allows. Since he is an NPC this can be justified to add to the adventure's flavor." Take that, sticklers!

Sevim is married to Julia, a human waitress. "Julia and Sevim have been married for just nine months and used to work at the Dagger Rock Tavern, before Grog arrived and offered them better pay and no prejudice."

I'm going to have to spoil the story of this one. The villain is the proprietor of another tavern. He has hired a pair of half-orc mercenaries named Grunt (a thief) and Brock (a fighter) who are keeping an eye on the Happy Half-Ogre Inn and Tavern.

Dungeon Magazine 45 - Rudwilla's Stew

by Steve Schwartz

• Theorn: The oldest brother. Tall, short-tempered, protective of his mother.
• Orlec: His face is heavily scarred from battle. He hates most humans because one humiliated him in battle. Orlec owns a book called The Conquests of Julruz Nosepicker: the story of an orcish hero, written in orcish, worth 3 sp.
• Lormax: The smallest brother. He has a morbid sense of humor and looks more orcish than his brothers. He keeps his orc father's skull in a chest, along with a stack of "explicit love letters from a female orc named Gertha."
• Sequius: The youngest, most human-looking and most attractive. Has a +1 short sword that he stole from a halfling merchant.

I might have missed it, but I don't see an explanation as to the story of the orc father, other than that he is dead and they have his skull.

3e Player's Handbook

by Jim Nelson

Half-Orc Traits:

• Short-tempered and sullen.
• Love fighting, drinking, boasting, singing, wrestling, drumming, and wild dancing. A half-orc is a liability at the duchess's grand ball.
• They have grayish skin.
• Any half-orc who has lived among orcs likes scars.
• They reach adulthood at age 14 and live to the age of 75.
• Many worship Gruumsh even if they are not evil.
• +2 STR, -2 INT, -2 CHA.
• Darkvision 60 feet.
• Favored Class: Barbarian.
  

Races of Destiny

by Jim Nelson

Half-orcs don't fit into society and they don't want to fit into society. They have a stubborn independent streak that they use to keep everyone and everything at a safe distance.

"The typical half-orc is abandoned at birth, bullied throughout childhood, and cast out into the wilderness as an adolescent."

Most half-orcs learn to channel their anger into focused rages while still striving to attain the elusive goal of a contemplative state of mind. This is why many end up as barbarians (because the barbarian class has a rage mechanic). 

Many half-orcs grow up to be bullies, intent on paying back the other children for years of humiliation. 

Deep down, every half-orc feels that they embarrasses both of his parent races, and that people treat them as a monster because they are one.

Loud music, dangerous brawls, and copious quantities of alcohol have the same effect on a half-orc: They can momentarily lose themselves in sensation and forget the pain and cruelty of existence.

Enemies and Allies

This supplement is full of NPC stats. It includes statistics for the "iconics" - the 3rd edition NPCs that appeared in a lot of the artwork in the 3e books. Some of the iconics even had novels written about them. The most famous iconics are probably Regdar and Mialee (both of which I included in my DMs Guild adventure The Ooze Chambers of Emirikol).

There is a half-orc iconic: Krusk. In the book, we see that he is a standard barbarian with a pile of magic items. Just stats, no story at all. 

Krusk has his own miniature.

City of Fire

I am interested in finding out Krusk's backstory, but I can't find much out there on it.

4e Player's Handbook 2

by Steve Argyle

"An obscure legend claims that when Corellon put out Gruumsh's eye in a primeval battle, part of the savage god's essence fell to earth, where it transformed a race of humans into fierce half-orcs."

We also learn: "Half-orcs combine the best qualities of humans and orcs..."

Stats:

• +2 STR, +2 DEX
• They gain temporary hit points when bloodied (bloodied = once you lose half your hit points or more)
• They gain a bonus to speed when charging
• They get a free extra attack once per combat.
• They live to the age of 60.
  

5e Player's Handbook

• +2 STR, +1 CON
• They live up to 75 years.
• Darkvision 60 feet.
• Proficient in Intimidation.
• When reduced to 0 HP, they drop to 1 HP instead (once per long rest).
• Do more damage on a critical hit.
  

Here's where we are at now:

"Whether united under the leadership of a mighty warlock or having fought to a standstill after years of conflict, orc and human tribes sometimes form alliances, joining forces into a larger horde to the terror of civilized lands nearby. When these alliances are sealed by marriages, half-orcs are born."

Some half-orcs hear the whispers of Gruumsh in their dreams, calling them to unleash the rage that simmers within them.

They feel emotion powerfully.

Volo's Guide to Monsters

"...orcs mate with non-orcs only when they think such a match will strengthen the tribe." When an orc meets a human of great prowess and ferocity, they strike an alliance and mingle bloodlines.

Half-orcs often end up leading orc tribes.

I got a bunch of stuff in the mail:

• Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
• Dungeon Master's Screen Wilderness Kit
• The Great Dalmuti

• Also known as Iggwilv, and Natasha the Dark.
• Tasha's hideous laughter is named after her.
• She was adopted and raised by the legendary hag Baba Yaga.
• Has an extremely dysfunctional relationship with the demon lord, Graz'zt (I made a Guide to Graz'zt).
• Wrote the Demonomicon of Iggwilv (I made a Guide to the Demonomicon here).
  

Review

Most of this article involves me going over what's in the book, describing my favorite parts, and going off on tangents. If you just want a general idea of whether this book is good or bad, let me save you some time.

This is one of the best books put out for 5th edition so far. That includes the adventures, the settings, everything. 

It has an absolute ton of subclasses, and almost all of them are cool. I don't think I've ever read a supplement that actually got me excited about so many different character options.

On top of that, it is loaded with magic items and spells - some new, some updated from previous editions. 

Then we get all sorts of useful DM stuff to drop into our games, including puzzles and magically-touched regions. 

My favorite thing of all is that everything is described succinctly. In just a few sentences and paragraphs, we are given everything we need to use a particular item or subclass. Most of this book is a breeze to read through, and the ideas are so good that you just jump from one thing to the next.

This definitely has the "late in the edition" feel, when the creators have a good handle on everything and the creative juices are flowing.

The Art

Before I run down what's in the book chapter-by-chapter, I want to talk a bit about the art. As I've mentioned before, 5e art is generally good, but not great. There are no "superstar artists" anymore, and landscapes tend to be the best art for whatever reason.

In this book, there's a few pieces of art that look a bit too rough, but in general it's all fine. There are no double-page spreads (which might be for the best, as the page split tended to maul the center of each image). 

After flipping through the book, I notice that there are four full-page images of Tasha, depicting different moments from her life. What a great idea. The first image by Brian Valeza may be one of my favorite pieces of 5e art. 

Young Tasha

Mordenkainen vs. Tasha

My first reaction to this image of Tasha and Mordenkainen playing chess is that I wish they were playing dragonchess, but then I realized that they might be using one of Iggwilv's items: "A magic chessboard whose pieces shift to represent enemies and allies." 

This chessboard was actually depicted on the cover of Dungeon Magazine #149. Check it out:

I absolutely love the idea of depicting different scenes from the lives of major D&D NPCs in each of these books. 

There is an ongoing issue in the books with images coming out darker in print as opposed to how they look digitally. On page 165 there is an image of an enchanted spring. The rocky area behind the waterfall is dark/black. But if you look at the same image online, you can clearly see a huge face carved into the rock. In fact, the whole image is much, much brighter: 

by Robin Olausson

Table of Contents

Looking at the table of contents, I see that there's about 20 pages worth of magic items. Baba Yaga's Mortar and Pestle, the Demonomicon of Iggwilv, "Planecaller's Codex," and the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar.

Optional: We are told that "everything in this book is optional."

Ten Rules to Remember: We get a quick rundown of little rules things that are hard to keep straight; When reactions happen, how casting a spell as a bonus action works, always round down, etc. 

This listing really drives home how much I like 5th edition. They really hit it out of the park. If you never got to play older editions, you have no idea how bad it was handling the rules and players who exploited the rules. 

Even 4th edition, which really clamped down in an effort to control game balance, had certain "exploits." I remember a player at the game store who made some combination of feats that, when paired with a blade spider mount, gave them infinite attack rolls or something. 

Tasha Introduction: "Tasha" writes a long introduction. She mentions her studies with Zagig Yragerne (one of Gary Gygax's real life characters), and dealings with Mordenkainen (check out my Guide to Mordenkainen here).

Let's check it out.

Chapter 1: Character Options

We get a ton of new subclasses, most of which have appeared in Unearthed Arcana over the last year or two. I wrote about most of these already in my Dragon+ reviews.

The thing I like the most about these is that many are tied to a D&D concept, like the Astral Plane or Mechanus. 

Artificer: This class comes with a bunch of subclasses. I really like the artillerist, who gets an eldritch cannon at 3rd level. It can be a flamethrower, a force ballista, or a protector that grants temporary hit points. 

Barbarian: I love wild magic, so I'm pretty interested in the path of wild magic. Elves, tiefling, aasimar, and genasi often become "magic-infused barbarians." When they rage, they roll on a chart to gain an extra added benefit such as teleporting, blinding a foe, summoning a flumph, all sorts of fun stuff. Once they hit 6th level, they can actually touch a spellcaster and let them regain a spell slot.

Bard: The College of Creation bard can create a "mote of potential," which is an amusing term. The mote gives the target a bonus die on a certain roll. 

Cleric: The peace domain is interesting. I always like to see how each edition handles a pacifist-type character. My favorite class in 4e was the warlord, who was all about granting other characters attacks. It was a lot of fun to play.

The channel divinity: balm of peace (I love that phrase so much) allows you to move without provoking opportunity attacks and "...when you move within 5 feet of any other creature during this action, you can restore a number of hit points to that creature equal to 2d6 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1 hit point). A creature can receive this healing only once whenever you take this action."

Druid: The Circle of Stars druids draw on the power of starlight. They can take on a "starry form," where constellations appear on them that can do different things, like changing a roll of 9 or lower on a d20 as a 10. What a cool idea. 

Fighter: The rune knights can create magic runes that give them special abilities. For example, the fire rune lets them restrain a foe with fiery shackles once per day.

Monk: "A monk who follows the Way of the Astral Self believes that their body is an illusion. They see their ki as a representation of their true form, and astral self." They can summon a pair of extra arms that have an extended reach and some other benefits.

Paladin: The Oath of the Watchers protect mortal realms from extraplanar creatures, which is interesting. That could mean demons or devils. It could mean modrons, too, right? They have the ability to turn aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, or fiends. 

Ranger: The Fey Wanderer is pretty cool. Each has a feywild gift, such as: "Your shadow dances while no one is looking directly at it."

Rogue: I really like the Phantom. At 9th level, they can take a "soul trinket" from someone they've killed. The trinket can be used to gain advantage on death saves, do extra damage, or it can be asked a question. 

Sorcerer: The Clockwork Soul is a person who has somehow become entangled in the machinations of the modrons. They have the power to cancel advantage or disadvantage. 

Warlock: There's a genie patron. You get your own genie lamp, more or less, that you can go inside and stay in! "The interior is appointed with cushions and low tables and is a comfortable temperature. While inside, you can hear the area around you as if you were in its space." You can do so much with that.

Wizard: The Order of Scribes is all about magic spellbooks. They get a magic quill and the book lets you swap damage types and cast rituals much, much faster.

Chapter 2: Group Patrons

A group patron is an entity or organization that sends the heroes out on quests and adventures. For each one, we get information on what they are and how they work. 

Museum of Dreams: This one seems like it could lead to some cool Inception-type adventures, and I'd imagine night hags would play into things prominently. "Shared dreamscapes connect a network of wide-ranging specialists."

Lich: That could be fun... I used an arch-lich (from 2e) as a sort of patron and the group was fairly into it. There is an image in this book of Azalin, the lich from Ravenloft, as a sample patron. He was a big deal in 2nd edition, at least, to me.

Pirate Fleet: "This alliance of pirate captains is unified under a ruling captain or admiral and adheres to a strict code of honor. They converge only in response to an outside threat."

Planar Conscripts: Warriors include conscripts pressed into service in the Blood War, fodder in the thrall of ruthless yugoloth mercenaries, or members of a glorious celestial host defending against fiendish incursion."

Undead Hunters: I love this one. Van Richten! Your contact could be "Mysterious Text: The gradual translation of a secret holy text points you toward the next step of a divine destiny." 

On page 103, we get a piece of art set in the city of Sigil. The caption: "In the city of Sigil, Guildmaster Rhys realizes that finding capable recruits is one of the main challenges of being a patron."

I can't find the actual art online, but the artist is Scott Murphy, who did this pretty badass depiction of Zariel. Here is the 2e art of Rhys:

Rhys by Tony DiTerlizzi

I wrote a guide to the factions of Sigil (which almost drove me nuts) and now I get to use it. I don't remember who Rhys is but I can check... here we go. She runs the Transcendant Order, a faction that believes that you must be impulsive, follow your instincts. They believe that once you sync up your body and mind, you will be in tune with the multiverse. 

Factol Rhys is a "master of the spirit," a neutral tiefling who has achieved internal harmony and can inspire others to greatness. She becomes important post-Faction War, because she suddenly becomes one of the most politically powerful people in the new Sigil government.

This chapter is decent, useful for DMs who are in the planning stages of a campaign.

Chapter 3: Magical Miscellany

by Titus Lunter

This is the stuff I'm most interested in. Here in chapter 3 we get new spells and magic items. We start off with spells. Check out this 7th level spell:

Dream of the Blue Veil: "You and up to eight willing creatures within range fall unconscious for the spell's duration and experience visions of another world on the Material Plane such as Oerth, Toril, Krynn, or Eberron." The spell (10 minute duration) ends with them being transported to the world they had a vision of.

This is accompanied by a sidebar called "Traveling to Other Worlds." It talks about how, long ago, there was a single reality called the First World that was shattered by a cataclysm that created the multiverse. This sounds sort of like the story of Monte Cook's Praemal campaign, which I wrote about here.

The sidebar also discusses two other methods of traveling between worlds:

• The Great Journey: A voyage filled with peril in a vessel powered by magic (aka Spelljammer).
• The Leap to Another Realm: Using a teleportation circle linked to another teleportation circle on another world.
  

Summon Spells: There are a pile of summoning spells, all of which are linked to a different type of creature (beast, fiend, elemental, etc). It acts as your ally, obeys your verbal commands, and remains for up to 1 hour. 

 You summon a specific "spirit" with its own stat block. There's a celestial spirit stat block, a construct spirit statblock, and so on. 

There are a few new Tasha spells:

• (lvl 1) Tasha's Caustic Brew: You shoot a line of acid that does 2d4 acid damage.
• (lvl 2) Tasha's Mind Whip: A psychic attack that does 3d6 psychic damage and dazes the target, more or less.
• (lvl 6) Tasha's Otherworldly Guise: You can draw on the magic of the Lower Planes or Upper Planes, and then gain a suite of powers and enhancements linked to those planes, including wings and a +2 to AC.

There are a lot of magic items. Many of them are of the same type - magic spellbooks. Each spellbook type has a unique name but they all follow the same pattern:

• It has about 7 listed spells
• Can function as the character's actual spellbook.
• Can be used as a spellcasting focus.
• Has 3 charges which can be used to activate specific abilities, such as teleporting to dodge an attack, impose disadvantage on certain rolls, "take on a semblance of undeath" for 10 minutes, etc.

Magic Tattoos: There are also a number of magic tattoos. I really like how they set it up so that the size of a tattoo correlates to how rare it is. A tattoo that is common fits on your hand. A tattoo that qualifies as a very rare magic item covers two limbs, or the chest, or the upper back.

Random Properties: A lot of the more potent magic items have "random properties." The DM is meant to roll on the tables in the "Artifacts" section of the DMG, 2 minor detrimental properties and 1 minor beneficial property. I've never been a big fan of that, but no big deal I guess.

The Demonomicon of Iggwilv: The 5e version of the Demonomicon is pretty cool. They added some lore to it - it contains  part of a nascent layer of the Abyss. I added the details to my Guide to the Demonomicon of Iggwilv.

Baba Yaga's Mortar and Pestle: This gets a full page and a piece of art. This item has been mentioned in previous editions. This does a lot. It can summon ingredients, magically grind stuff, the pestle is a +3 weapon that does extra force damage, and you can sit in the mortar and magically transport you from one locale to another.

Luba's Tarokka of Souls: This is a magic tarokka deck that allows th wielder to cast certain spells, and they can draw a card that might aid or hinder a creature within 15 feet. The deck also contains trapped souls, which can manifest in cool ways.

We get a sidebar explaining who Luba is a good-aligned halfling vistani who led a tribe of vistani in the Shadowfell. She was something of a rival to Madame Eva. Luba disappeared long ago, leaving her tarokka deck behind. 

Teeth of Dahlver-Nar: It works like this: You pull a random tooth out of the sack, and you can either sow the tooth (place it on the ground) or implant it (put in your mouth). 

A sowed tooth transforms into a certain monster, anything from 9 cats to an ancient red dragon. 

An implanted tooth gives you special powers. 

The chart is great, tons of cool results that I don't want to spoil.

Chapter 4: Dungeon Master's Tools

by Titus Lunter

Then we get into the "social contract," which is very interesting stuff. They give us a typical social contract, which includes commitments to four points. I'm actually going to write these out right here:

1. DM: "You will respect the players by running a game that is fun, fair, and tailored for them. You will allow every player to contribute to the ongoing story and give every character moments to shine. When a player is talking, you are listening."

2. Players: "The players will respect you and the effort it takes to create a fun game for everyone. The players will allow you to direct the campaign, arbitrate the rules, and settle arguments. When you are talking, the players are listening."

3. Cohesion: "The players will respect one another, listen to one another, support one another, and do their utmost to preserve the cohesion of the adventuring party."

4. Kicked Out: "Should you or a player disrespect each other or violate the social contract in some other way, the group may dismiss that person from the table."

I'm not sure where we are at right now in 2020 when it comes to dysfunction in D&D groups. I can tell you that, in the past, dysfunction and "toxic" behavior was rampant. It only takes one person to ruin it, and it was present in the majority of groups I met or played with. 

There is a whole subreddit devoted to RPG horror stories. I just looked. There's 176,000 members! 608 people are in there right now!

So how it is going in all of these Zoom quarantine D&D groups out there? Are people able to make it work? Or is the campaign crashing and burning? 

In my opinion, the thing that stopped D&D from growing even bigger than it did in years past was due the behavior of the participants. Most players are cool. But then you get to that 15% - the "ruiners," you could call them. At the game store, I saw entire groups of people try and then quit the game after one single session thanks to one toxic DM or player. It happened over and over.

I literally started this blog just so I could talk about this issue. Nobody would say out loud what it's actually like running games at a con or a game store. Sometimes it was fun, but a lot of times it sucked.

Anyway, I could ramble forever on this topic. As far as this social contract goes, I like it. The problem is getting people to buy into it. How do you make this the standard? How do you get everyone on board? 

The problem seems like it transcends the game. It involves how people behave when engaging in a group activity. Sort of like the family that gets into a vicious fight while on vacation at Disney World. As a DM, it is a really weird and unexpected thing to have to deal with.

Sidekicks: We get rules for creating and leveling up a sidekick. A sidekick can be any monster with a challenge rating of 1/2 or lower. Then you add the sidekick stuff to it. "The starting level of a sidekick is the same as the average level of the group."

There are three sidekick classes: Expert, spellcaster, and warrior.

Environmental Hazards: I love these so much. Each area has a random chart that you roll on under certain conditions.

Far Realm: I'm really interested in this one, because I've always had a hard time using the Far Realm in a fun way. Tentacles, insanity, that's about it. But I am seeing here an awesome image of mind flayer nautiloids so let's check it out.

After death, some souls get pulled into the Far Realm and are twisted into abominations or elder evils. 

Someone used the words "pernicious" and "propagate" in the same paragraph, which is some epic word usage in my humble opinion. 

This chart involves a region "touched by the Far Realm, not actually in it. The charts results involve plants coming alive, bizarre appendages rising from the ground, that sort of thing. One result involves a gibbering mouther, which really is a top notch D&D monster in 5e. I've never liked them as far a aesthetics go, but I think it's the rare example of a monster that is made cool by its stat block. 

Mirror Zone: This is a really fun one, involving an area touched by a mirror realm. My favorite effect is the one where a creature's skin becomes silvery and reflective.

I'm pretty sure Expedition to the Demonweb Pits has a bunch of Mirror Realm stuff.

Also, when I was a kid, my friend ran an adventure called Skarda's Mirror. This involved a monstrous ape using magic mirrors to strike at the heroes and then escape before being harmed.

The DM specifically told us that if we split up, we're going to die. What did my friend Stan do? He split from the party. He died. He had a real defiant streak for a while, there.

by Sam Keiser

I love the idea of making friends with a mimic colony and living in it, bringing it monsters to eat as payment.

Puzzles: This book wraps up with a section on one of the hardest things to pull off in D&D - puzzles. I have had such a hard time with puzzles in D&D. They're either too easy or too hard. They either eat up way too much table time or none at all. 

As a DM, I eventually learned to give the group puzzles and riddles that they can mess with as they go on adventures. They can think about it between sessions, mess with it while taking a long rest, whatever. That way it isn't a roadblock that grinds the session to a halt. 

I don't want to spoil these by overly describing them, but I can say that they are really fun. Especially "reckless steps" and "material components."

Overall

This is a great book, maybe one of the best, yet to come out for D&D 5th edition. It is jam packed with stuff, each thing described in just a page or two. I guess I could have used a bit more lore, but it's no big deal. 

Thanks for reading!

The DM screen is four panels wide, made of a thick material. There are 4 images on the exterior:

• A white dragon perched on a snowy mountain.
• A green dragon flying over a forest.
• A castle on an island, menaced by massive tentacles rising from the water.
• The remain of a sailing ship sitting in a desert crater.

The art is good. A little too "real" for me, if that makes sense. The most interesting thing about the artwork is that it actually almost looks like a photo despite the fact that you can see the brush marks. 

The inside of the screen contains reference material. The bulk of it is taken up with descriptions of conditions (poisoned, stunned, etc). It covers a lot of other ground:

• Setting a DC
• Damage by level
• Object HP and AC
• A list of skills and the abilities they are linked to
• Jumping Rules
• Concentration rules
• Exhaustion
• Weather, including extreme cold/heat
• Travel Pace
• Prices for services
• Encounter Distance
• Wilderness Navigation
• Audible distance (!)
• Cover
• Obscured areas
• Visibility
• Vessel Speeds
• Food/Drink/Lodging Prices
• Foraging DCs

This looks like a good list, at least, at first glance, especially for a screen that focuses on "outdoor adventure."

I wrote a column long ago called the Forgotten Rules Index, which is a repository for me to refer to while running a game. It contains all of the rules that I can never remember.

Looking through it, I can see some stuff that I would have wanted included in this screen, particularly the surprise rules.

In addition to the screen, there are a bunch of sheets of other useful material.

Double-sided Laminated Hex Map: The idea here is that the DM has created a vast wilderness area. Each hex represents a section of the land, possibly a 6 mile stretch of forest. The heroes go from hex to hex, "hex-crawling" their way through the locale, exploring the land while looking for treasure and adventure.

There are 100 numbered hexes.

Hex Crawls: I've seen a few people wondering aloud online if anybody does hex crawls any more. I would assume some people do, at least on occasion. 

In my opinion, a hex crawl is really great for kids just starting out playing D&D. The DM can write up what's in each area during the week, then the players can explore it on the weekend. It would probably start out simple, but then become more complex as the DM gets a grasp of how the game works.

I have been thinking recently about what a great book the 5e Dungeon Master's Guide is. When you pair it up with this product, I think you can create some great stuff. The DMG is overloaded with fun ideas.

Here are two of the essential things a DM should refer to when making a hex crawl with this product:

• DMG pg 108: "Wilderness" This section discusses things found in the wilderness, wilderness survival, and how "1 hex = 6 miles" on a kingdom-scale map.
• Xanathar's Guide to Everything: This book has relevant encounter charts. On page 97 are "Forest Encounters" charts for heroes of various levels.

Actions in Combat: A separate laminated sheet has another hex map on one side, and a reference for actions in combat on the other. It has info on Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, all that stuff. Very handy for any player to have. I always forget how the help and dodge actions work.

1. The DM rolls for weather.
2. The players choose their pace.
3. A check is made to see if the group gets lost.
4. Check for Random Encounters (a chart is provided on this sheet)
5. Expend food/water supplies.
6. Track progress in miles.

Travel Pace: The DM Screen lists the travel paces. Traveling at "normal speed" means that the heroes can cover 24 miles in a day. If each hex covers 6 miles, that is 4 hexes per day.

Foraging: On the flip side of this sheet, we get very handy info on food and water - how much a character needs per day, how foraging works, and there are also tables for monuments and weird locales that the group might stumble on.

My favorite weird locales:

• Boulder carved with talking faces.
• Field of petrified soldiers.
• Floating earth mote with a tower on it.

Condition Cards: We get two sheets of cards containing information on all of the conditions, as well as stats on strong wind, extreme heat, and extreme cold. I've always thought that condition cards were extremely helpful.

Box: We get a box to hold the cards in. Love this thing. One of the best "DM Rewards" I ever got at the game store was a box to hold condition cards for 4th edition.

This particular box is slim and perfectly fits the cards. Very compact, very cool-looking. It was actually a lot of fun putting it together. Again, I think this is a great set to give to kids.

Overall

I am thoroughly charmed by this product. The idea of sitting down with your friends and letting them explore the weird forest that you made up sounds like a lot of fun. It seems like a laid-back, leisurely way to play D&D that puts the players in the driver's seat, which usually leads to a lot of hijinx and laughter.

You can pick up the Dungeon Master's Screen Wilderness Kit right here.

by Grzegorz Rutkowski

Today we're going to take a look at the D&D Essentials Kit, a boxed set containing everything you need to play Dungeons & Dragons.

I just want to note that it retails for $25, but you can buy brand new copies of it for $7.79 on amazon right now. If you have any interest in this product, now is definitely the time to buy it.

This boxed set came with a code that lets you access the adventure in this kit - Dragon of Icespire Peak by Chris Perkins - on D&D Beyond for free. I haven't really looked at D&D Beyond much, but I did while working on this article and man do I have a lot to say. I'll do an article on D&D Beyond soon. It's extremely useful! It made reading the adventure so much easier for me.

Here's what you get in the Essentials Kit: 

• Softcover Rulebook: 64 pages of D&D rules.
• Dragon of Icespire Peak: 64 page adventure for level 1 characters.
• Poster Map of Phandalin
• 4-Panel DM Screen
• Dice Set
• Character Sheets
• Tons of Cards
• Box: To hold the tons of cards

Dice Set

You get two d20's, four d6's, and one of everything else. These dice are the "gem" type of dice - red and translucent. I don't like these of dice because they roll forever and end up flying off the table. I refer to this phenomenon as "sloppy dice."

I like that the kit give extra dice, though.

DM Screen

This thing is pretty thin, not at all burly and strong like the Dungeon Master's Screen Wilderness Kit. It is 4 panels wide. The art is pretty good, but it came out a little dark, so some details are difficult to make out. 

The information on the inside of the screen is nearly identical to what's on the wilderness kit screen, except that this one contains a listing of all the actions in combat.

Do you think D&D should veer away from combat a bit? In the olden days, it was all-combat all-the-time. But now I think that people want a bit more storytelling - more adventure and less killing. I do think that the days of inconsequential combats are behind us. 

Character Sheets

Poster Map

There are a lot of cards in this box! They come on perforated sheets. You have to assemble the box that holds them. I honestly didn't think the cards would fit in the box, because there are so many of them. 

There are many different types of cards:

Initiative Cards: You can give these to players, so they know who goes when.

NPC Cards: In this adventure, you can take along an NPC sidekick using the sidekick rules. These cards each depict a different NPC. The front has an image of what they look like, and the back lists their personality, ideal, bond, and flaw. 

I dug through the D&D Beyond version of this adventure to show you my favorite NPC:

A sidekick has one of three stat blocks: Expert, Warrior, or Spellcaster.  They are listed in the rulebook

Quest Cards: In the adventure, the town of Phandalin has a board where the quests are posted. There are three starting quests. Once 2 of the quest have been completed, 3 new quests are posted. Once 2 more are completed, the final 3 quests are posted. 

The first 3 quests:

• Warn dwarf prospectors that a white dragon is in the area.
• Visit the gnomes of Gromengarde to see if they have a device that could repel the dragon.
• Convince a woman who lives in a windmill to move to Phandalin for her own safety.

Condition Cards: I think that every D&D player should own these cards. Very handy! Each card lists a different condition, including grappled, charmed, and incapacitated.

Combat Cards: These 3 cards all contain the same information - references on how combat works, step-by-step.

Magic Item Cards: This is something else I think every group should have! Each card details a different magic item. How handy. All the information is right there.

There are a ton of these cards. There are actually multiples of a few items. It looks like there are 6 potion of healing cards.

Magic Charm Card: This last card details the Charm of the Storm, a special boon a character can acquire on one of the quests. I won't spoil what it does, but it is very cool.

Rulebook

This book has information that allows players to take a character for levels 1-6. Four races, five classes, five backgrounds. Then there's general rules to play the game, followed by equipment and spells.

Sidekicks are in the appendix. I like it when they keep things condensed. On one page, we get the stat blocks for the three sidekick types. On the other page, we get all the info needed to level up a sidekick.

How do you describe D&D to a new player? It feels weird to do, especially if you're very familiar with the game. This is how the rulebook describes it:

"In the D&D game, each player creates a character who is an adventurer and teams up with other adventurers (played by friends). One player, however, takes on the role of the DM, the game's lead storyteller and referee. The DM runs adventures for the characters, who navigate its hazards and decide which paths to explore. The DM describes the locations and creatures the characters face, and the players decide what they want their characters to do. Then the DM determines the results of the adventurers' actions and narrates what they experience. Because the DM can improvise to react to anything the players attempt, D&D is infinitely flexible, and each adventure can be unexpected."

The phrase "lead storyteller" alarms me a little bit. You don't want the new DM to think that D&D is a novel that they write/force on the players. I think most of us have played through a D&D game where the DM has their pet NPC that does all the important stuff, and our characters are just kind of there to tag along.

Dragon of Icespire Peak

We start off with some DM tips:

• When in doubt, make it up.
• Embrace the shared story.
• It's not a competition. 
• Be consistent and fair.
• Modify the adventure to suit your tastes.
• Keep a notepad and some graph paper handy.

"Make it up" is one I've seen some players struggle with. They become concerned with the notion that their character "build" is built on the anticipation that certain conditions exist. What's the point of making a build to gain an advantage in certain situations if those situations may never actually arise?

I think that's where it is important for the DM to inform the players what their style is, so the players can craft characters accordingly. For example, if your DM doesn't require rolls for certain skill checks, then there is no point in making a character that is proficient in that skill. 

Number of Characters: You can run this for 1-6 characters. One character? How can one character survive an adventure balanced for up to 6? The one character gets an NPC sidekick, using the sidekick rules in the rulebook. 

I'm very interested to see if you really can survive this adventure with just one hero and an NPC sidekick. 

Looking through the adventure, I see how they worked around this. Here's an example: "Lurking in the hall is one ghoul for each member of the party, not including sidekicks." 

Another example: "There are three times as many orcs as there are characters in the party, not including sidekicks." 

At the Shrine of Savras, there's actually a table that lists how many orcs and ogres lurk at the locale, depending on what level the heroes are.

Pretty good, right?

Phandalin: The town is described in just two pages, which I really appreciate. The heroes choose one of three quests from a board in town and off they go. 

The Dragon: The villain in this adventure is Cryovain, a white dragon. As the group travels to different locations, there is a chance the dragon will show up, looking for something or someone to eat. If the group can do 10 points of damage to it, it will fly away. 

The Scenarios: One weird thing that comes up in this adventure, is that every location seems to have been over-run by monsters at some point in their history. This displaces other monsters, which causes problems. For example, the white dragon kicks out the orcs, who then move to a town and destroy it, etc. Almost every single location in this adventure has been attacked, wiped out, and rebuilt in its history.

by Olga Drebas

This location has an interesting backstory - the jellies are actually followers of a god of greed. The god became angry with its dwarven followers and turned them into jellies.

(lvl 1) Gnomengard: This is a somewhat deluxe location. There's quite a bit going on, here. I don't want to spoil it, but someone or something is causing gnomes to disappear. One of the kings has gone mad, and the place is a wild magic zone. I really like this place.

(lvl 1-3) Umbrage Hill: A manticore is attacking this windmill which is home to a woman who can sell the group potions of healing. Very short and sweet, which is how I like it.

(lvl 3) Tower of Storms: The group finds this place through rumors. This location is a lighthouse/temple devoted to an evil god of storms. There are a number of monsters here, including harpies and a friendly talking crab. There are shipwrecks in the water that have some good loot. The gimmick here is really cool - the bad guy's heart is linked to the light house.

(lvl 3) Butterskull Ranch: I love the name of this place. Sounds delicious!

Orcs have overtaken this place and tied up Big Al, the owner. This is essentially one encounter, as all the orcs are in one spot.

(lvl 3) Loggers' Camp: This one involves a D&D monster that doesn't get used much - the ankheg. The monsters are plaguing a logging camp.

(lvl 4) Mountain's Toe Gold Mine: A big mine complex with some wererats in it.

(lvl 5) Axeholm: A nearly empty dwarven fortress that is now home to ghouls. The map is huge and there is very little actually inside the dungeon.

(lvl 5) Dragon Barrow: The adventurers come here to retrieve a dragon slayer longsword once wielded by Lady Alagondar. This is a small tomb with some traps, a very cool skeletal horse, and the sword is resting one the skull of a huge dragon. I love this place.

(lvls 5-6) Woodland Manse: Agents of the god of storms have taken over this place. They've even grown a gulthias tree, like in the Sunless Citadel. Lots of loot in this place! I like that. I hate when adventures are stingy with treasure.

At the end of this scenario, we are told that on the following day, the bad guys will attack Falcon's lodge with 20 orcs and Gorthok the Thunder Boar. Yikes.

by Jason Engle

Thoughts on the Adventure

This adventure is, I assume, made for people brand new to D&D. I looked around online, and I found that some new DMs struggled with this product a bit:

"My family just purchased this, as our first attempt at playing D&D. I took a shot at being DM with my wife and son playing... I struggled a lot more than I thought i would, as a first time DM. Without another resource we couldn’t figure out a wide range of things – how we managed movement and distance, when or how food/supplies came into things, etc. We kind of muddled through, but there was a lot that wasn’t clear and we all spent a fair amount of time researching online whilst trying to figure it out. And the first adventure kind of flopped..."

Another person said:

"The quests need a lot of imagination and effort if you want it to be anything more than a quest board. I don’t mind the work and creative aspect, but there is no through-line of the whole campaign that is obvious. My players are pretty much ready to jump on any clue or thread I give them so its easy to feather in quests without, “uh should we go check the job board?”"

I can't really speak on what this adventure would be like to run as a brand new DM, all I can really do is listen. I am wondering if they tested this product by giving it to people who have never played D&D before? That would be a good way to see what questions might pop up.

I can give thoughts on the adventure itself. Some of the maps are too big - too many rooms that contain nothing of consequence. The best locations are the ones that just cut to the chase. No stirges, no rooms full of mundane stuff, just the thing that we came here to deal with.

I would get annoyed running the mine. Here's 4 rooms in a row:

M5. Storeroom: A dozen crates of dry foodstuffs and nine casks of drinking water are stacked in the middle of this cave.

M6. Sleeping Quarters: This cave contains a dozen wooden cots.

M7. Gold Storage: This cave contains two wheelbarrows and an empty bin.

M8. Equipment Storage: Picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows are stored here.

Boring! Can we just take a whole section of this place and give it one entry? "This area contains storage, cots, blah bah blah." The way it is now, these new players will be creeping room-to-room, expecting danger and excitement. They're going to get disenchanted, and the game could start to drag.

Especially because a new DM won't have the instinct to hand wave these rooms. 

I would say that my favorite sections of this adventure are the dragon barrow, and the final battle with the dragon. I would change the dragon's lair, though, and turn it into ruins with no encounters.

What's Left for Chris Perkins? Reading this adventure, it makes me wonder what Chris Perkins has left to write. He has written a lot of great D&D stuff:

• Umbra: Regarded as the best Planescape adventure.
• Nemesis: The "sequel" to Umbra. I am probably in the minority on this, but I think this adventure is actually better than Umbra (needs new art, though).
  
• Bzallin's Blacksphere: An epic, planar high level dungeon.
• Curse of Strahd: Easily the most popular 5e adventure yet released, to the point that they made a deluxe boxed set version of it.
• Dragon of Icespire Peak: One of the two introductory adventures to 5th edition D&D.
• Bonus: He also wrote and ran Iomandra, a campaign setting that in my opinion should become an official D&D setting.

I think he does have at least one more epic adventure to write - the definite Vecna adventure (or perhaps a sequel to the Vecna "trilogy" - Vecna Lives, Vecna Reborn, Die, Vecna, Die). Most of the published 5e adventures make a reference to Vecna, the god of secrets. He's written in the past about using Vecna in his game, even creating Osterneth, the undead "bride" of Vecna (who appeared on 4e's Open Grave).

Overall

You get a ton of stuff in this box. Dice. Cards. A DM Screen. A Chris Perkins adventure. And right now it is $8.00! EIGHT DOLLARS.

You can buy the D&D Essentials Kit on amazon here.

Links

Kyle Maxwell Doesn't Like This Adventure

You can read this issue right here.

It is Dragon+ time! The cover features Strahd, as they've just released a deluxe boxed set version of Curse of Strahd called Strahd Revamped. I've been reading about that product a bit, and I plan to do a review of it soon. I want to see what they changed from the original, if anything.

Imagining The Ampersand: Harry Conway

The cover art is by Harry Conway. He says that to prepare for this, he watched many dracula movies, including:

• BBC's version of Dracula, which I've never seen.
• Bram Stoker's Dracula, starring Keanu Reeves.
• Not Twilight. You know, people bash Twilight so much, it sort of makes me want to watch it. Is it bad-bad or funny bad? If it's funny bad, then yeah I will definitely check it out.
  

2020 Gift Guide

We get a link to a pdf full of D&D stuff to buy for Christmas. There's so much stuff. Here are some of my favorites.

That said, do I want a pillow emblazoned with the classic Larry Elmore red box art? Yes, yes I do.

I think I've already mentioned this once before, but I don't care. Come hell or high water, I am going to own this giant d20 desk light that changes colors! Nothing can stop me.

In the Works: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

There is an interview with Elisa Teague, who did the puzzle section in Tasha's. We are given a free .pdf of a new Tasha's puzzle.

Puzzles in D&D are so hard to get right. I'll never forget one session I played where we had to solve a riddle, and the DM wouldn't let us move on until we figured it out. We sat there for two hours, and the solution ended up being a PUN. 

The last line of the riddle was "Oh, well." Which meant we needed to go look at the well in town. The rest of the words in the riddle were meaningless.

In the Works: Curse of Strahd Revamped

You should definitely read this if you cave any interest in Curse of Strahd Revamped, or just Strahd/Ravenloft in general. Chris Perkins talks about a ton of interesting stuff.

Chris Perkins says: “One of the things that a DM needs to think about is, how do I keep the adventure going and keep Strahd present without him running roughshod over the party? Because Strahd is a tough customer. If a mean DM really wanted to, they could end the adventure fairly quickly by having Strahd bear down on the party too soon.”

He also talks about tension:

“If you make the story too tense for too long, eventually fatigue sets in. Sometimes when you watch a horror movie, you realize it’s gone wrong because it’s too relentless. Whereas a movie like Cabin in the Woods blends its horror with humor, to disarm you and set you up for the next horrible thing that’s going to happen.”

The heroes going after Strahd:

“If the characters roam around Barovia, experiencing the misery that has infected this land and hearing stories of Strahd, there comes a point when they come to the conclusion themselves that they have to go to the castle. Sometimes it’s early in their visit to Barovia and sometimes it’s later on. But that kind of player agency is the best outcome. In a good horror story, the heroes have more agency than the villain.

“You want the characters to reach that moment when they say, ‘Okay, we’ve seen enough. Somebody has to do something and we’re ready.’ The strength of the story comes when the characters rise up of their own volition and decide now is the time we’re going to climb up to that castle and deal with that devil. And then, of course, they realize what a terrible mistake that is! They’ve just fallen into Strahd’s trap.”

Some DMs run their game in a way where this option may not be apparent. If you run your game in a sandbox-y manner, then sure, this could happen. But a lot of DMs, at least in my past experience, are railroad-y to a certain extent. The players wont even realize they have the option of dropping everything and going to Castle Ravenloft. They'll wait to be prodded, or given a hook to do so, right?

Also, I could be misremembering this, but doesn't Strahd send the group invitations to come to the castle when it's time?

Chris talks about less serious versions of Strahd:

“By the same token, I’ve also run games at conventions that haven’t necessarily been light-hearted, but have had a very different feel to them. One of my favorite things to do is to have the characters start the game trapped in Castle Ravenloft. They wake up in Strahd’s study and their only goal is to escape the castle with their lives. That’s the setup: there’s a vampire and he’s going to eat you, unless you get out. And by the way, you have no weapons or equipment."

Sounds like fun!

In the Works: Shop Dungeons & Dragons, Powered by WizKids

I want to mention this for a specific reason. You can now buy D&D minis and stuff on this centralized site. They have a giant Orcus mini coming out, which depicts the 5e version of Orcus (and not the 4e version that I love so much).

Some people have mentioned this specific item online, so I decided to check it out. A deluxe Yawning Portal Inn premium set, the tavern which contains the entrance to the Dungeon of the Mad Mage, complete with LED lights and a mini of the bartender, Durnan.

How much do you think this costs? $100? I mean, it's got glowing lights. $125?

Nope. $350. Three hundred and fifty dollars. This thing needs to have an actual working beer tap to be worth that much money. 

It's weird because I do all my playing online now, so I really don't have any need for physical minis. I like them. I used to have tons of them. 

I actually think this is a cool product and I'd like to see more, the problem is that to me they're too expensive, and I don't have any actual use for them.

Solo Adventure: Frozen Offerings

We get a link to a solo adventure .pdf, for free, along with maps. This adventure requires no DM - just you.

I'd love to see someone do a livestream where they play through this adventure alone. If they die, they die.

D&D Classics

This is where we get fresh .pdfs of articles from older editions.

• 3.5e Brain in a jar
• 4e Brain in a jar   
• 5e Brain in a jar
• 4e article on Goblin Alchemists
• 4e adventure about mind flayers on the moon

Maps of the Month

One of my favorite things about Dragon+ is the free maps! This month we get ice-themed maps, including two from Rime of the Frostmaiden: The Caves of Hunger and the Frost Giant Ice Lodge.

Good stuff!

As you may know, I write "guides" to the 5e D&D adventures. When working on a guide, I sit there, go through the new book page-by-page, and  try to boil down the basic things a DM needs to know to run it. 

My main goal is to tell the DM, in as few words as possible, everything they need to know to run the adventure for their group.

Usually this involves writing a summary, identifying the parts of the adventure that could cause the DM to stumble, answering questions that aren't immediately clear in the text, and page numbers - lots and lots of page numbers.

I put in the page numbers because, if you're using actual physical books, you're going to need to be looking up lots of monsters, magic items, and little rules. Some of the monsters will be in the adventure book, many will not.

Page Flipping

So I imagine you sitting at the table with the adventure, the PH, the DMG, and the Monster Manual (also possibly Volo's and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes), immediately I feel this sense that you're going to be overwhelmed with all that flipping, while trying to create a seamless experience for the players. 

A good chunk of being a good DM is preventing boredom, right?  I end up writing these giant guides trying to help cover you as best I can. But it still doesn't feel like enough.

My guide to Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is 100 pages long. One hundred pages! The adventure itself, minus the stuff in the back of the book, is 250 pages. My guide is a lot of extra reading to do!

When that guide was done, I sat for a while and thought about whether there was a better way to write these things. Should I include less information? What is really essential? Do you need all those page numbers?

The Mad Mage Was Too Much For Me

I thought back to Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage. I tried to write a guide to that one, but gave up by level 3. It was too dense. The wall of text killed me. How do I help you run that one? What do you need to know? Are massive piles of page numbers really helpful? How do I condense this thing?

I shelved that guide. I'd go back to it every few months, try to work on it, and then get overwhelmed again. Heck, I ran it online for a short time, until dungeon fatigue set it.

Exploring D&D Beyond

Then, a few weeks back, I went to D&D Beyond to look at the Essentials Kit stuff. There's a code in the box that gives you the D&D Beyond version of the adventure, Dragon of Icespire Peak, for free. There are also sequels to that adventure available as well.

I sat there, shocked. Why haven't I been using this site more? There are LINKS to all that stuff I've been providing page numbers for, right there. I went and looked at Dungeon of the Mad Mage, the adventure that killed me mentally, on the site. Check it out.

First off... It  has very clean versions of the artwork. As a big fan of D&D art, this is good for me. 

Second, I find the text much more readable. I can scroll down and see how concise it is. In book form, it feels more like a wall of text where I keep checking, "how many more pages do I have to get through?" On this site, it's just a clean scroll, frequently broken up by links, charts, and side stuff.

Hover over the knock spell:

Look in the knock entry - there's a link to the arcane lock entry!

Later in the same paragraph, there's a bandit. Hover over it:

Then there are links to other areas of the dungeon that these bandits might run to. Click on it and we jump right to that section.

Next paragraph, a character might get frightened. The conditions are one of the things I have to look up the most (PH pg 291, am I right?). Here... just hover over it:

Boom. Frightened. All of it.

Now there is one major, obvious, hurdle to all this. But before we get to it, I want to show you one more thing.

You get every map - both a DM version AND a player version. Yes, you can save them to your computer.

One Problem

So I'm sitting here, kicking myself for not using this site more, but also in a bit of a quandary. Instead of writing all those page numbers in my guides, should I just tell people to buy the D&D Beyond version of the adventure? 

This is the hurdle: You have to buy the digital versions of the books on D&D Beyond.

Each book is $29.99. You could buy smaller chunks - items, classes, whatever, for $1.99.

So if you buy just Dungeon of the Mad Mage on D&D Beyond, a lot of those links aren't going to work until you actually buy the D&D Beyond versions of the core rulebooks.

In some cases, you can buy a physical book on Amazon for less than the D&D Beyond price.

What the heck do we do with this? Do you have the money to buy the D&D Beyond versions? Because honestly, it's worth it, to me. In fact, if everyone had access to them, it would completely change my approach to writing a guide. It would make all of our lives a million times easier.

Work Resumes

I can say that, because I now have access to Mad Mage on this site, I've actually resumed work on the guide. No idea when it'll be done... not any time soon. But I don't feel overwhelmed by it any more.

I also figured out a new approach to making the guide, which I think will be more helpful and drop the page count by a bit. 

If I wrote the Guide to the Mad Mage in the same style that I used with the others, it would probably be 150 pages long. To me, that's almost useless as a guide. I want you to be able to flip through it in no time and understand everything you need to know.

Other Content

D&D Beyond has more stuff worth talking about - particularly the character builder, the Twitch add-on (which is amazing), and the articles by James Haeck (from what I can tell, he is pumping out like 3-4 huge genuinely useful articles a week all by himself). I feel like I should do an article on Haeck's work. That guy is a machine.

For today, I just wanted to know where I'm at and to give you an alert, in case maybe you don't even know that D&D Beyond is an option.

Quick Note

I am a bit amused by this. Last week I wrote a review of the D&D Essentials Kit. I and others online pointed out that you could buy the Essentials Kit on Amazon for $8, which is a ridiculously good price and perfect to buy for the holidays. I just checked to see the current price:

Also, if you are thinking about buying a book on D&D Beyond, they are running a 15% off sale through December 6th. Coupon Code: DDB15.

Thanks for reading!

We're going to do three things here:

1. Talk about the impact Curse of Strahd had on me
2. Review the product, look for changes in the text.
3. Look at the many complaints found on amazon reviews and see if they have any merit.

When you first open the box, which is shaped like a coffin, you see an insert that looks like this:

by Mike "Daarken" Lim

Tremendous! On the flip side of this giant, coffin-shaped card, is Strahd's stat block.

Curse of Strahd & Power Score RPG

Curse of Strahd did a lot for me, personally. When the adventure first came out, I was in a good zone - mentally ready to dig in to a Chris Perkins adventure and really peel it apart. 

While I personally wasn't that thrilled with the idea of yet another remake of the original Ravenloft adventure, I was 100% up for writing about it. I wrote articles that I now have no recollection of writing whatsoever. Ridiculous, massive articles about running Strahd, the Strahd prequels, and a Guide to Strahd.

Chris Perkins started running a Curse of Strahd campaign online, which I covered on this blog. Those articles led to a number of opportunities, and ultimately got me a contract with wizards of the coast to work on some web-related stuff. I was now getting paid for writing about D&D!

Once that contract finished, wizards started sending me free products for my blog reviews. To this day, they still send stuff to me. Heck, I even got a Christmas card from them! I am a lucky guy.

With their support, and especially the support of all of you who to this day buy my stuff on the DMs Guild in great amounts, my literal job in life is to write about D&D.

Wizards doesn't send me all of their products, though. I don't get the big, weird stuff. I don't get minis, I don't get the Beadle and Grimm mega-deluxe products. I didn't get the Stranger Things box.

And they did not send me Curse of Strahd Revamped.

I thought about it for a few days, and I realized that I needed to buy this thing. Plunk down my hard-earned money! 

Curse of Strahd did so much for me, how could I not review this thing? Where would I be without Curse of Strahd?! I should buy two of them!

It's $70 on amazon, which is a lot of money, but not too outrageous. I sort of feel like buying one copy is the least I could do, after all that wizards (and you) did for me.

Negative Reviews? While gazing at the amazon entry, I read the reviews. I was taken aback at the negativity. People seemed to be pretty angry about this boxed set.

Is this just another case of internet over-reaction? Is this product really bad?

I noticed that while I wrote a pretty glowing review of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, people on reddit seem to hate that book. I mean.. they really hate it.

It made me wonder if I'm out of touch. Am I wrong? Is there something about Tasha's that I missed? 

I understand that most of the content was already public as a playtest, so there weren't many surprises in the book, but that doesn't make it a bad book, does it? 

I actually liked the player stuff in that book, and usually I don't care about player stuff at all. The magic tattoos alone made the book worth it to me, alongside the depictions of Tasha's life.

So yeah, I needed to buy this box and see. Is Curse of Strahd Revamped a flimsy cash grab? Is wizards trying to fleece you and I by putting out the same product with one tiny little change, like when Malibu Stacy got a new hat?

Let's find out.

Curse of Strahd Revamped Review

I'm sorry everybody, I only had a potato to take product photos with. 

First off. This box is huge. I mean... look at it. That's Tasha's Cauldron of Everything next to it, for scale.

Postcards: The postcards are meant to be used to invite your friends to play, I guess. I know that Chris Perkins sent out invites for his game, but they came in wax-sealed envelopes. That would have been a much cooler way to go, I think, but probably not feasible.

This booklet actually kind of freaks me out, in that it feels like how a 5e "module/pamphlet" (like the 1st edition adventures) would be presented - softcover, just a few pages. I want the Necropolis of Ythryn from Rime of the Frostmaiden printed in a booklet like this.

Wait. Actually, I want the Lost Laboratory of Kwalish published in a booklet like this. But I want a full color cover and more art inside. As time has rolled on, I have slowly come to the conclusion that the Lost Laboratory of Kwalish may actually be my favorite 5e adventure. 

It's not perfect! Some of the stuff in there is confusing and could be trimmed down/re-worded. But I think that adventure most encapsulates what I want 5e adventures to be.

Anyway, what's in this tarokka book? The first two pages contain a dense description of the deck and what each card represents. after that, we get... pictures of the cards.

This feels like a waste. Pictures of the cards? We already have the cards. I'd have preferred it if they gave as a magic version of the deck, a mini-adventure involving the deck, or, best of all, a new introductory adventure to run.

Do any of you remember that old Dungeon Magazine adventure where there was a thieves guild or something, and each door was infused with the magic of a card from the Deck of Many Things? They could have made an intro adventure like that.

Creatures of Horror: They put the monsters in their own book, so the DM doesn't have to do so much flipping. Very nice!

The paper is a bit too glossy - I prefer the grittier paper, like the stuff they used in Rise of Tiamat. That said, the art looks much, much, much better on this paper.

I've written a lot about how the art comes out too dark in most D&D books, but here, we get great bright versions of everything. It looks absolutely fantastic. The very first page shows us Vasilka and the Abbot, and we can make out every detail.

Then we get to one of my favorite 5e monsters: the Barovian Witch! She's got AC 10 HP 16, and she can cast some very debilitating spells like sleep and Tasha's hideous laughter.

I think there is new art of the wereravens, too.

Are there any changes to the text?Let's find out. Keep in mind that wizards has released errata, which has been incorporated into later printings of this adventure.

In the errata, it says that, in Ezemerelda's NPC entry, "Ezmerelda's Secret" has been changed to "Ezmerelda's Prosthetic." Here in revamped, it's "Ezmerelda's Prosthesis."

It further says that "She has since adapted well to the false appendage."

In the Broom of Animated Attack entry, the original book says: "...half the weight that a broom of flying can (see chapter 7, "Treasure," of the Dungeon Master's Guide)."

In Revamped, it says: "...half the weight that a broom of flying can (see the Dungeon Master's Guide)."

Looking through the revamped, I see that this is a universal change. For example, in the Old Bonegrinder there is a mention of cackle fever. In the original book, we're told to see "Diseases" in chapter 8, "Running the Game," of the Dungeon Master's Guide. In revamped, it says see "Diseases" in the Dungeon Master's Guide.

Curse of Strahd Revamped Adventure Book: This book is softcover. It's flipping and flopping all over the place, and I gotta say that I'd rather that it was either a hardcover book, or that this cover was a bit thicker.

The paper inside is nice - shiny but my fingers don't smudge it.

I am very interested in seeing if they made changes to a few things, particularly:

1. The night hags in the Old Bonegrinder.
2. The elevator trap in Castle Ravenloft.
   

Hags: The hags in the Bonegrinder were very powerful. Chris himself changed them to green hags when he ran it.

Checking.. nope. They are still night hags in revamped.

Megaliths: Looking real quick at the Megalith entry. In Rime of the Frostmaiden, it was revealed what the megaliths do. Nope. No changes to the entry in revamped.

Who is Ceithlenn? This isn't a change, but sticks out now to me: "...an offering to the entity they worship, the wicked archfey Ceithlenn of the Crooked Teeth."

I don't think I've ever head of Ceithlenn before. Some googling reveals that she is based on Ceithlion Chaisfhiaclach, a figure in Irish legend. Someone on reddit gives details.

Elevator: Now let's check out the elevator in the castle: I just didn't understand it no matter how much I read it. Let's go to the Larders of Ill Omen (great name), pg 74 of Revamped, K61. Elevator trap.

Nope! No changes at all! Same exact text, as far as I can tell.

Vestiges: Looking at the Amber temple, I want to see if anything has been added/changed to the vestiges. Nope.

I'd really love to see someone make a list of the vestiges, and detail which ones are brand new and which ones were in old products. I recognize a few: Tenebrous (from Dead Gods), Shami Amourae (from Savage Tide, among others), and Taar Haak (I think Taar is a 4e primordial).

But there's others like Seriach the Hell Hound Whisperer and "Vaund the Evasive." Who are they? What did they do before ending up as a vestige?

Changes? So to summarize... there are almost no changes at all. Revamped is basically a reprint of Curse of Strahd.

Amazon Reviews

OK, now let's check out some of these amazon comments. I'll put their comment in italics, and my response will be below them.

"If you have not DMed before this will equip you decently, but hardly has everything you would want to run the game in person."

I don't quite get this comment. What do you want? Dice? That would have been cool, actually, to include Strahd dice.

You need the core books. You need dice. And you need character sheets (actually, special character sheets would have been a great addition to this box, too).

I'm not sure what this commenter is missing. The box gives you the tarokka deck and a DM screen. All sorts of stuff.

"The postcards are... neat? But not useful for running the adventure, there are things I would rather have had."

I agree that the postcards didn't add much.

"The book is a softcover which some people don't like for the money this costs."

I actually agree with this, too. In my opinion, this should have been a hardcover with new cover art. Heck, they could have used the special art of Strahd in the coffin as the cover.

"All in all, this is a box set, NOT a revamp. The book is not really any different than that of the original Curse of Strahd, just filled in with a handful of edits made to clean it up and clarify a few things."

True! It is in no way a "revamp." I definitely expected that the adventure would be tweaked in places, and it was not.

"This is a box set. If it was sold as a box set, it would be fine. But it is misleading to sell it as a revamp when it really is just a Curse of Strahd Box set. I was extremely disappointed."

I get it. It is a boxed set. I am not really disappointed though.

"Past that is a book that I really don't understand the purpose of at all. It's an 8-page, saddle stitched booklet entitled "Tarokka Deck." It contains a generic description of what the various suits mean on a Tarokka deck, as well as thumbnail images of every card. What it does not offer, however, is an explanation of what each card means within the context of the adventure itself. I find that to be a real missed opportunity, and this book likely will see little use from me."

Valid! The tarokka book is just a reprint of Appendix E. Not very useful or exciting.

"Since some of the cards contain two different handouts on them, and since I can't imagine anyone wanting to actually cut the cards in half, they will have to be photocopied before use anyway. So these seem largely un-useful to me."

Also true! Each handout sheet should have just had one note/letter on it. I'm not going to take scissors and cut these things out, that's crazy talk.

"....it is just a paperback slightly modified reprint with stats in a separate booklet, map, lower quality DM screen, tarroka deck, cute postcards, etc. and a lot of empty space. There's no real reason to buy this unless you're a collector."

Whoa, there. Lower quality DM Screen? The DM screen is fantastic! The tarokka deck is fantastic. This obviously is a collector's item, but it is very useful for those who are actually going to run the adventure, too. Splitting the monsters into their own book is extremely helpful.

Overall

I love this box. If you're expecting a re-worked adventure, don't bother with it. But if you want to run Curse of Strahd and you have some money lying around, this is a no-brainer. It's such an impressive product. And while it retails for $100, you can get it for $70 on amazon. 

At $100, I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but at $70 this is a very easy thumbs up from me.

by Julian Kok

We'll go through some D&D books and get a look at how insight works, and the different situations you might use it in. Also, how can it be used in an adventure? Are there any things to watch out for when attempting to use it?

Here's the description from the Player's Handbook:

Insight

"Your Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone’s next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms."

I've definitely mixed up Insight and Perception in the past. Here's the DMG entry on Perception:

Perception

"Your Wisdom (Perception) check lets you spot, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of something. It measures your general awareness of your surroundings and the keenness of your senses. For example, you might try to hear a conversation through a closed door, eavesdrop under an open window, or hear monsters moving stealthily in the forest. Or you might try to spot things that are obscured or easy to miss, whether they are orcs lying in ambush on a road, thugs hiding in the shadows of an alley, or candlelight under a closed secret door."

Here's a quick list of instances where insight was used in official D&D books. You might make a Wisdom (Insight) check to:

• Determine if someone is under a charm spell.
• Figure out if someone is lying to you (the liar makes an opposed Charisma (Deception) check).
• Determine characteristics. You can find out a creature's Ideal, Bond, or Flaw!
• Gamble successfully during downtime. Insight is one of three skills needed to be successful at gambling during downtime.
• Help solve puzzles. Insight allows you to learn clues/identify patterns of a puzzle.
• See through a disguise.

Lying: It seems like the most common use of insight is to use it to determine if someone is lying. The heroes can use their insight to figure out if someone is lying to them, if they're nervous, that kind of thing.

Failing the Check: This leads to one of those small issues that come up when running a game: If a character rolls an insight check to see if someone is lying, but they roll low. their character shouldn't know that they failed their attempt. In game, this definitely shouldn't prompt the other heroes to try a roll because they know their ally failed the check.

by Zoltan Boros

In the Dungeon Master's Guide, under "Running the Game," They talk about dice rolling and when to hide your rolls:

"You might choose to make a roll for a player because you don’t want the player to know how good the check total is. For example, if a player suspects a baroness might be charmed and wants to make a Wisdom (Insight) check, you could make the roll in secret for the player. If the player rolled and got a high number but didn’t sense anything amiss, the player would be confident that the baroness wasn’t charmed. With a low roll, a negative answer wouldn’t mean much. A hidden roll allows uncertainty."

So maybe in my adventure, I should tell the DM to write down everyone's Insight scores so the players aren't tipped off.

Another pitfall here is, if a character fails an insight check, can they attempt another on the same target? When? After 1 minute? After an hour? The DMG covers this, too.

Multiple Ability Checks: "In other cases, failing an ability check makes it impossible to make the same check to do the same thing again. For example, a rogue might try to trick a town guard into thinking the adventurers are undercover agents of the king. If the rogue loses a contest of Charisma (Deception) against the guard’s Wisdom (Insight), the same lie told again won’t work. The characters can come up with a different way to get past the guard or try the check again against another guard at a different gate. But you might decide that the initial failure makes those checks more difficult to pull off."

Determining Characteristics: I did not realize this was a thing. It turns out that you can use your insight check to learn more about an NPC! You can actually learn their ideal, bond, or flaw.

"After interacting with a creature long enough to get a sense of its personality traits and characteristics through conversation, an adventurer can attempt a Wisdom (Insight) check to uncover one of the creature’s characteristics. You set the DC. A check that fails by 10 or more might misidentify a characteristic, so you should provide a false characteristic or invert one of the creature’s existing characteristics. For example, if an old sage’s flaw is that he is prejudiced against the uneducated, an adventurer who badly fails the check might be told that the sage enjoys personally seeing to the education of the downtrodden."

Magic items: There aren't many magic items in the DMG that are linked to insight. The most prominent one I found was an ioun stone. In the book, it is literally called the insight ioun stone.

Ioun Stone, Insight. (incandescent blue sphere): +2 to your Wisdom score

1. A bad guy tries to lie to the heroes.
2. The heroes can sit down in a tense environment with a mysterious NPC, and try to root out their Flaw, Bond, etc.
3. Have a scene where the group gambles, and utilizes insight (maybe in a high stakes game of Three Dragon Ante?)
   

Let's look through some more books and see if there's any more insight stuff.

Xanathar's Guide to Everything

In the downtime section, there is discussion of gambling as a downtime activity.

"The character makes three checks: Wisdom (Insight), Charisma (Deception), and Charisma (Intimidation). If the character has proficiency with an appropriate gaming set, that tool proficiency can replace the relevant skill in any of the checks. The DC for each of the checks is 5 + 2d10; generate a separate DC for each one. Consult the Gambling Results table to see how the character did."

3 successes means you gain double the amount you bet. 

You could do a thing that happens in movies, where there are people watching the game - an official looking for cheating, a scoundrel trying to slip something in a player's drink, that kind of thing.

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Magic Item: One of the teeth of Dahlver Nahl, a magic item, grants you telepathy 120 feet and the ability to cast detect thoughts at will. "You also have disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks from constant whispers of memories and nearby minds."

Puzzles: In the puzzle section, a character can use insight to figure outhints, figuring out if a creature is sincere, the meaning of certain markings on a puzzle,

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

In this adventure, you can use insight to:

• Figure out that Volo can't really pay as much as he says he can.
• Discern whether or not a certain creature poses danger to Waterdeep.
• Realize that someone is under the influence of magic.
• Roll a really, really high Insight check to spot Jarlaxle in disguise.
• Tell that someone you're having a clandestine meeting with has come here alone.
• Discern that an NPC is hiding something.

Dragon Heist is definitely a crime caper type of adventure, which leads to more insight opportunities. I imagine insight-based encounters revolving around tense moments, quietly scanning a foe to see if they are nervous or about to try something.

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

There are some interesting uses of insight:

1. Determine whether some bad guys are playing dead.
2. Secure a loan, with or without the intention of paying it back: Charisma (Deception) vs. Wisdom (Insight).
3. Realizing that a creature moves a certain way because it is injured.
4. Detecting the insincerity of an offer.
5. Eating a meal at a certain place on Avernus gives you both the benefits of a heroes' feast spell and disadvantage on Insight checks made against the owner.

I really like the "play dead" one. That's a nice set-up for an ambush. Or, perhaps an NPC is playing dead until its assailants leave the scene. the heroes see that the NPC is still alive, and note that the bad guys are about to loot the NPC's body.

Making a Diabolical Deal: Love this one! Insight is absolutely involved when you try to make a deal with a D&D devil.

"If a devil attempts to deceive a character at the deal-making stage, the devil can make a Charisma (Deception) check opposed by the character’s Wisdom (Insight) check. If the character’s check result is higher than the devil’s, the character sees through the devil’s deception."

There is also a magic item that boosts insight:

The Sword of Zariel: "Truth Seer. While holding the sword, you gain advantage on all Wisdom (Insight) checks."

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

There are a few new applications of insight:

• Spotting that someone is faking an injury.
• Examining the plans of a magical device, realizing that there is a design flaw, and knowing how to fix it.
• Noticing that underlings have lost faith in their leader, and that they would be delighted to see that leader taken out.
• Looking at a crude ice statue and figure out what it is supposed to depict (in this case, a kobold).

I really like the "underlings lost faith" one. That would be a nice twist to an encounter, where it goes from a straight battle to influencing the underlings to turn against their master.

by Zoltan Boros

Nothics: A monster I overlook a lot, but has a lot of cool lore and powers attached to it.

Nothics have "Weird Insights."  Characters in this adventure can actually learn things from nothics:

"The nothics have no memory of their lost humanity, and any information they might provide is garbled with bits of nonsense. Characters who succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check can glean the following information from the nothics after a brief conversation..."

Let's go to the Monster Manual and see what the deal is with nothics and insight.

"Dark Oracles. Nothics possess a strange magical insight that allows them to extract knowledge from other creatures. This grants them unique understanding of secret and forbidden lore, which they share for a price. A nothic covets magic items, greedily accepting such gifts from creatures that seek out its knowledge."

In their stat block is the "Weird Insight" power:

"Weird Insight. The nothic targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target must contest its Charisma (Deception) check against the nothic’s Wisdom (Insight) check. If the nothic wins, it magically learns one fact or secret about the target. The target automatically wins if it is immune to being charmed."

So a nothic has a magically-enhanced ability to peer into a character's mind. Very cool.

I think I can mine a bunch of insight encounters out of this! There are some other good articles on Insight below. Thanks for reading!

Links

Nerdarchy: Insight 101

Arcane Eye: Guide to Skill Checks

Angry GM: Adding Insight to the Insight Skill

I am working on a series of 5e conversions (meaning that I am converting adventures from older editions of D&D to the 5e rules system) that I will use in my shiftspice campaign, which I will be resuming in 2021. 

This group of heroes went through the Tomb of Annihilation, and then played through a series of higher level DMs Guild adventures.

Planning my Campaign

The plan now is to run the group through nothing but old Monte Cook adventures, all converted to 5th edition. This article contains the first of these conversions.

My campaign plan right now looks like this:

• (lvl 12) A Question of Ethics
• (lvl 12) The Harrowing (from Dungeon Magazine #84)
  
• (lvl 14) Mysteries of the Dead Gods (based on an article Monte wrote in Dragon Magazine #240)
• (lvl 14) Demon God's Fane
• (lvl 16) A Paladin in Hell
• (lvl 18) Labyrinth of Madness

I might work in a couple more smaller, 1-2 session Monte adventures. Possibly something from Well of Worlds, or the Hellbound boxed set. The problem is that I've already run my favorite adventures from those products in my campaign world, so it doesn't make sense (though literally nobody but me would even be aware of the continuity issues).

Sigils: The Labyrinth of Madness has 20 sigils that the group must acquire to make it to the end of that dungeon. The sigils, once touched, appear like glowing tattoos, on your body. By the end of the adventure, the sigils will line both arms of each hero like a "sleeve" of tattoos.

If you read the adventure and the Labyrinth of Madness errata, you'll see that the sigils in the labyrinth make things very difficult. As written, you need to keep backtracking through the dungeon to obtain the sigils, and if you don't have one you need, certain things in the dungeon don't even exist to you.

My solution here is to have the group acquire all of the sigils before they even enter the labyrinth. That means they'll find at least one sigil in this adventure. They'll need the sigils to deal with the lifebane.

Lifebane: I have a hard time reading the Labyrinth of Madness backstory (it's a wall of text to me), so here it is in a more simple form:

1. The Dyris: In the Underdark, a race of evil pale-skinned humans called the dyris built a vast underground temple. In this temple, they opened gates to the Abyss and the plane of Pandemonium.
2. Energy: Evil energy seeped through the portals into the temple.
3. Lifebane: Over many years, the energies combined and became a semi-sentient force known as the lifebane.
4. Corruption: It began to twist, reshape, and corrupt everything around it.
5. Transformation: It turned the dyris into serpent-creatures similar to the yuan-ti.
6. Underdark War: The dyris waged war with mind flayers and drow, and eventually started to die out.
7. Lich Ruler: The last of the dyris ended up sealed in to their home, the labyrinth, by their lich leader, Im-Ravin.
8. Sigils: The lifebane was also trapped inside. It wanted out, and created the sigils as a way for people to navigate and open the sealed labyrinth.
9. Divine Explorer: A titan (an "empyrean" in 5e terms) named Aerthun found the labyrinth and now rules it.
   

Changes: I've already foreshadowed Aerthun in my Dungeon Academy campaign. I made him the secret son of the Raven Queen and her consort, Ryltar (a former character from my 4e HPE campaign).

In my campaign, I'm going to say that when Aerthun opened the Labyrinth, the lifebane seeped forth and spread - it is now swiftly expanding, spreading throughout the multiverse. It is a force that both bolsters evil and 'poisons' good. 

Ultimately, the adventurers will need to go to the labyrinth to 'cut off the valve' that is spewing the lifebane forth. 

• Create the 'blood ribbon' disease and poison the magic pool from A Question of Ethics.
• Empower Lolth's daughter to try and take over the Demonweb in The Harrowing.
• Cause the dead gods to stir in Mysteries of the Dead Gods.
• Create the umbral taint from Demon God's Fane.
• Cause the illness that kills Klysandral the paladin (even though, as a paladin, he is immune to disease) in A Paladin in Hell.

My Sigils: For my game, I am going to say that the sigils are a magical phenomenon - the multiverse itself is reaction to the lifebane. The sigils are sort of like "arcane antibodies' that are accessible to those who fight the affects of the lifebane. 

I might tie the sigils to some god-like entity, not sure yet. This group is linked to Gwynharwyf, a fey warrior who fights demons from the Savage Tide campaign, and the group's barbarian tribe worships a phoenix, which aided the group in the Tomb of Annihilation.

In my campaign, I've also established that certain characters are living embodiments of the laws of the multiverse. The sigils could somehow spring from them:

• Rule-of-Three: Bidam from my Planescape campaign.
• Unity-of Rings: Theran from my Planescape campaign.
  
• Center-of-All: Lilia from my Dungeon Academy campaign.

In my campaign setting, wherever Lilia stands is literally the center of the multiverse.

The Tomb and the Labyrinth: One thing that amuses me is that the Tomb of Annihlation is actually sort of similar to the Labyrinth of Madness. They're both deadly dungeons in the jungle, and each involves a serpent god. It's a nice way to end my campaign, echoing back to how it started - an actual embodiment of the Unity of Rings (Everything goes in circles, what goes around comes around, etc.).

More Foreshadowing: I will also use this adventure to set up things that will happen in A Paladin in Hell. In that adventure, it is best if the group is friends with the actual paladin - Klysandral. So what I will do is place Klysandral's temple (which will be pulled into the Nine Hells) in the town of Adurath, which is described in this adventure.

I won't post the temple from A Paladin in Hell in this article, to avoid confusion. 

A Question of Ethics

Stat Stuff: I'm running this for level 12 characters. The DMG has handy guidelines for scaling damage and DCs for heroes of different levels.

Damage Guidelines: We'll use the damage severity guidelines from the DMG:

• Setback: 4d10
• Dangerous: 10d10
• Deadly: 18d10

Trap Stats: We'll use the "dangerous" trap stats from the DMG. 

• Difficulty Class: Between 12-15. 
• Attack Bonus: +6 to +8
  

Adventure Summary: Here is a real quick summary of this adventure

1. Fair: The town of Adurath is having a fair, which includes a sort of wizard duel/competition.
2. NPC Adventurers: The heroes meet a group of NPC adventurers, who have a beef with a tribe of mostly peaceful stone giants nearby.
3. Stone Giants: The giants are camped near a tomb that the NPC adventurers want to raid. The giants are in the region looking for a very rare mineral.
   
4. Outbreak: Word spreads that a deadly disease has broken out.
5. Devious Scheme: The NPC adventurers want to infect the stone giants with the disease.
6. Tomb Raid: Once the giants are dead, the NPC adventurers want to raid the tomb.

So yeah, this one can go in many different directions. I really love this adventure. I have recently gotten sick of excessive, superfluous combats in D&D.  In this one, it's possible the group will have 0-1 combats. The tomb is almost entirely comprised of traps, aside from one stone golem.

Adurath: Population 1,440.

Major NPCs:

• Mayor Vesta Lictor: She runs the town.
  
• Thouslo the Six-Fingered: Chief Constable.
• Yelladin Nyst: Cleric, well-respected.
• Stallis Silvereyes: She is wizard, sells potions and magic items. You might want to say she sells sovereign glue, which could come in handy later in the adventure. It's expensive, though: At least 50,000 gp! She should also sell scrolls of knock (cost: 250 gp).
  
• Norris Testament: Owns an inn called the Knight's Parlor.

In my home game, I'll be working in a huge cast of characters from A Paladin in Hell, too. I won't put them in this conversion, though.

The Fair of Adurath

The fairgrounds are just north of the village. 3 days of fun and food! The arcane challenge takes place in the first day.

Zoo: Has crocodiles, peacocks, gazelles, a stirge, a slightly large spider, and a giant preying mantis.

Stage: Mayor gives speeches, actors put on plays, various contests (including an eating contest which sounds like a fun thing to expand on). 

Challenges: Archery competition (which Taragana, one of the NPC adventurers, participates in), fencing, dancing, cooking, and....

Arcane Challenge

I'm going to re-organize this a bit. The way it's presented in the .pdf had me jumping back and forth.

Rules:

• 3 Rounds: There are 3 rounds. Each round is held one round apart. 
• Judges Scoring: 3 judges award points on a scale of 1-10 (though some rounds have point awards built in and are not subjectively scored). Judges can each hand out up to 3 points for style and finesse.
• Point Awards: 1st place = 10 points. 2nd place = 6 points. 3rd place = 2 points.
  
• No Meddling: Participants can't cast spells to interfere/with/affect other contestants. Those who do are eliminated and fined 100 gp.

Judges: 

1. Mayor Vesta Lictor: She runs the village.
2. Yelladin Nyst: Good cleric.
3. Gistronatal: Elf wizard, one of the NPC adventurers, famous for his glowing stones. if given the chance, he'll badmouth the stone giants.

Contestants: Three spellcasters take part, plus (hopefully) at least one of the heroes.

• Stallis Silvereyes: Local wizard, sells potions and magic items.
• Evran the Master Enchanter: 10th level
• Vanoruca: 12th level gnome sorcerer.

Round 1: Each contestant tries this in turn. A 12 foot diameter boulder is rolled down a hill. The wizard must destroy it with style. 

Boulder: The boulder is Huge sized. We can use the guidleines in chapter 8 of the DMG to make some boulder stats: 

AC 17 Damage Threshold 10 HP 50

• Damage Resistance: fire, lightning. 
• Damage Immunities: lightning, poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
• Condition Immunities: Charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned

Participants:

• Stallis: Tries to destroy the boulder with lightning bolt. Doesn't work well.
• Evran: Summons thoqquas to destroy the stone. 
• Vanoruca: Casts disintegrate twice, making quick work of the boulder.

Analysis: Vanoruca will win in two rounds unless a character can beat them. Look at disintegrate:

"This spell automatically disintegrates a Large or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Huge or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 10-foot-cube portion of it. A magic item is unaffected by this spell."

Round 2: There is a peacock feather on the flat top of a 100 foot tall tower. Whoever retrieves the feather first and brings it to a judge, wins.

• Stallis: Teleports to the top, levitates down.
  
• Evran: Fly spell.
  
• Vanorunca: Fly spell.

Analysis: I'm a bit confused by this. We are told there is no interference allowed. So doesn't that mean that as soon as someone grabs the feather, they win? I mean... unless they drop it.

That means that Stallis wins, as she will teleport up there and get it. The other two will have to use an action to cast fly, and then can only fly 60 feet. 

Picking Up an Object: Double-checking in the PH. You can pick up a thing for free on your turn. That means you can teleport and pick up the feather on the same turn.

Round 3: Each contestant has their own haystack. Somewhere in each one is a needle. The winner is the first person to find their needle.

• Stallis: Uses her rod of metal and mineral detection.
  
• Evran: Casts gust of wind, which doesn't go well at all.
  
• Vanorunca: Casts locate object!

Analysis: I think Stallis wins, and I'll explain why.

The rod converts to 5e very simply:

Rod of Metal and Mineral Detection

"This rod pulses in the wielder’s hand and points to the largest mass of metal within 30 feet. However, the wielder can concentrate on a specific metal or mineral. If the specific mineral is within 30 feet, the rod points to any places it is located, and the rod wielder knows the approximate quantity as well. If more than one deposit of the specified metal or mineral is within range, the rod points to the largest cache first. Each operation requires a full-round action." 

Boom, Stallis finds it. 

Quick Note: What's interesting here is that the stone giants are looking for a specific mineral. They could find it easily with this rod. Where is the mineral? In the final room of the tomb in this adventure!

Look at locate object:

"The spell can locate a specific object known to you, as long as you have seen it up close--within 30 feet--at least once. Alternatively, the spell can locate the nearest object of a particular kind, such as a certain kind of apparel, jewelry, furniture, tool, or weapon."

I don't think the participants are shown the actual needles. They're just presented with a haystack. Sure they know what a needle looks like, but they haven't seen that needle.

I could be wrong, but that is my interpretation.

Winner: I'd say that, if no character enters the challenge, Stallis wins.

Prize: You get a tiny trophy of an animated wizard, and a wand of magic detection.

Company of the Shining Stone

These NPC adventurers are neutral. They are very annoyed that the stone giants are blocking them from getting in the tomb, so they are going around the fair badmouthing the giants. They will not mention the tomb - they don't want the characters getting in there first.

They are named after the continual flame stones that Gistontral likes to use. I didn't realize that continual flame was permanent. Gistontral's trademark. Maybe the citizens covet them, and he gives the stones to people he likes.

• Verrek: (Berserker MM pg 344) Half-orc barbarian. Has a +1 frost brand and a periapt of health.
  
• Murt: (Champion Volo's pg 212) Dwarf fighter. Has a rope of climbing.
• Gistrontal: (Evoker Volo's pg 214) Elf wizard. Has a pearl of power.
• Taragana: (Assassin MM pf 343) Halfling rogue. Has a deck of illusions.

Drama: What's cool is, when Verrek draws his frost brand, ".. you can extinguish all non-magical flames within 30 feet of you." So that means that the only remaining light is Gistontral's continual light stone.

The Plague of Red Ribbons

On day 2 of the festival, herders from the south show up and warn of a terrible spreading sickness. 

• Deadly: It causes 'bloody rents in the body.' Once you get it, you die in a few days.
• Infection: It seems to spread through contact with corpses or blood of the infected.
  
• Sheep: There are sheep just 10 miles from Adurath that are infected.

The Quandary

Periapt of Health

Verrek and Murt will quietly go and get an infected sheep (Verrek is safe, he has a periapt of health).

They seal the sheep in a bag, sneak it to the stone giant camp to infect the giants.

The Giants

There are 11 stone giants total: Amar (stone giant dreamcaller, volo's pg 150), 8 adults (stone giant, MM pg 156), 2 young (ogre MM pg 237).

They are in the region because they have heard that tintibulum is in the hills.

Tintibulum: This metal can be used to soundproof walls and containers and also grants immunity to "sonic energy", which isn't a thing in 5e. I guess we could say immunity to thunder damage? The shatter spell does thunder damage, so that works, I guess. 

Camp: There is one tent, which Amar sleeps in. It also contains supplies. The other giants sleep under the trees.

Their camp is right by the entrance to the tomb. The giants didn't even know it was there - it was hidden by an illusion. The NPC adventurers dispelled the illusion before being chased away. The giants are too big to go in the tomb.

Skirmish: The Company of the Shining Stone actually tried to attack the giants, and it didn't go well. They've been licking their wounds ever since.

Negotiating: The stone giants speak only Giant. It is possible to convince them to camp elsewhere.

Stone Giant Research

Let's pause for a second and look up info on stone giants. I don't really know much about them. It's possible we'll find some material to flesh this out a bit.

From the Monster Manual:

• Reclusive, quiet, and peaceful.
• They spend a lot of time creating stone carvings in quiet caverns.
• They value art.
• The tribe's best carvers are their leaders, shamans, and prophets.
• They are skilled at rock throwing/catching.
• They view the world outside the underground as dreamlike, where nothing is fully real.
  

From Volo's Guide to Monsters:

• The world outside the caverns is an "unreality where nothing lasts and therefore nothing has significance."
• Those who aren't skilled at art are pushed to the fringe of society.
• Speaking Stone: An upright stone cylinder into which writing is carved in a descending spiral. As the cylinder is turned, you can read the writing.
• Passing Through Their Land: The stone giants will want a gift - a service of some kind. A task, usually: Chasing kobolds out of the area, retrieving something from a lake.
• They eat bats.
• They hate purple worms, because the worms destroy their carvings.
• On the surface, they are active at night, as they don't like daylight. When one dies, they join the "ancestors of stone", brought to a room with rows of dead giants who slowly over the years calcify and become stalagmites.

Let's check out the Stone Giant Dreamwalker from Volo's:

• On a quest, seeking inspiration.
• Some are driven mad by the "alien surroundings" of the world outside the caves.
• Creatures who start their turn within 30 feet of the dreamcaller become charmed (save at the end of each of your turns).
• Petrifying Touch: It can touch a charmed creature, CON sv DC 17 fail: petrified! The giant can adhere the creature to its stony body. The petrified person can't be restored until the stone giant is dead!

That's a lot of cool stuff! 

I don't quite understand the petrifying touch. Here it is:

"Petrifying Touch. The giant touches one Medium or smaller creature within 10 feet of it that is charmed by it. The target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target becomes petrified, and the giant can adhere the target to its stony body. Greater restoration spells and other magic that can undo petrification have no effect on a petrified creature on the giant unless the giant is dead, in which case the magic works normally, freeing the petrified creature as well as ending the petrified condition on it."

So... it grabs a petrified creature and sticks it to its body? Is it glued on? Does it get absorbed inside the giant?

I think I'm going to say that the creature gets absorbed. I don't know. I can't picture a stone giant walking around with three petrified adventurers glued to their leg or torso or whatever.

Revised Camp

Tent: The tent is made from purple worm hide. If you're a nice DM, you might want to place some "stone salve" here, gunk that can de-petrify a creature. This might come in handy once the group gets to area 5 of the tomb.

Fire: When they eat, they cook up a bunch of bats, which are in the trees in plentiful amounts.

"Statues": The camp is dotted with creatures that Amar has turned to stone:

• Displacer beast
• Troll
• Owlbear
• Snakes
• 2 Boars
• 3 Wolves

Schedule: The giants sleep during the day. At night, two giants go out and search for the tintibulum. The others partake in activities:

• Play catch with stones (or a petrified monster).
  
• Carve a speaking stone, telling the story of their search for the tintibulum.
• Amar works on a huge carving around the mouth of the tomb entrance, creating a depiction of the stone giants pummeling the Company of the Shining Stone.
• Cook up a huge pot of bat stew.

Negotiating: The group could make a deal. While Amar is used to the "overworld," the other giants are anxious to go home. They'll tell the group that they can go in the tomb if they promise to help them find the tintibulum (which, it turns out, is actually in the tomb).

The Tomb of Hareth the Neverlost

** Before the group goes in, make sure you know the marching order. There are a number of devastating traps in here and you definitely want to have this info in advance. **

Who is Harseth? We don't know much about Harseth. He apparently was a gnome who used his illusion magic to pretend to be a human.

• Ceilings: 10 feet high.
• Doors: Stone, each has a lever next to it. Pull lever = door slides into the stone floor.

1. Entrance: Arched entryway

2. Harseth's Legacy:  An 18 foot tall statue of a wizard (this statue destroys the trap boulders that might come from room 5 soon).

Touch the Statue: If you touch this statue and say "Harseth," the next spell you cast will be 1 level higher than normal.

3. Guardian: 8 foot tall wizard statue (it is actually a stone golem MM pg 170). 

4. Library of Lost Lore: Statue, bookshelves protected by a sheet of glass.

Glass: Magically reinforced. Damage Threshold 5 HP 40.

If the glass is shattered, all of the books age and crumble to dust.

Floor: Searching the floor reveals a small trigger stone. Pressing it causes the glass sheet to slide into the floor, giving the heroes access to the books.

Books: Total value: 4000 gp. I made up a bunch of books relevant to my campaign.

• Lolth and the Culture of the Drow (info relevant to The Harrowing)
• Ochremeshk the Demon God (the villain of the Demon God's Fane)
• Half-scorched copy of Emirikol's Guide to Devils: My DMs Guild supplement, contains info on Stygia and Malebolge, places the group will probably go to in A Paladin in Hell.
  
• Serpent Gods (includes info on Dendar, who was relevant to the tomb, and some info on the dyris, who are in the Labyrinth of Madness).
• The Old Gods of Nyrod (A book about the first campaign I ran when I was 12).
• The Arrow of Fate (the artifact that merged Tiamat and Bahamut into the dragon uber-god Io, which happened in my 4e Scales of War campaign).
• Mind Flayer Philosophy: Discusses mind flayer info, including lore on Ilsensine and Maanzecorian, the dead illithid god who will play a role in Mysteries of the Dead Gods
  
• Nerull and the Raven Queen (Nerull was the old god of death that the Raven Queen betrayed and supplanted. Their son is Vorkhesis, the entity that kicked off this whole campaign)
• Great Tales of Wildspace (discusses The Mystic, the first spelljammer my group had way back when, and speaks of the legend of Galactica Vexx, the space pirate whose crew played through the mind flayer trilogy)
• Shadow Pearls (a book discussing Demogorgon's shadow pearls, which can transform swaths of land into a demonscape - this happened in my Savage Tide campaign)

5. Trap: This is a crazy trap. Here's how it works:

1. Detect: A character who examines this hallway can make a Perception check to spot the triggers. Let's say that it's DC 15 to spot the first one, and a DC 20 to spot the second, as it is further in. 
2. Disabling: The characters will have to disable both pressure plates. Arcana DC 15, or DEX check with thieves' tools DC 15. Fail = trigger the trap.
   
3. Trigger: Character walks down the hall, triggering up to two pressure plates (one 5 feet in, one 25 feet in).
4. Contact: 1-2 rolling cylinders roll down the hall. When a cylinder first connects with a character: CON save DC 12 fail = petrified! If the character is petrified, then the cylinder(s) roll over and shatter them into a million pieces! Petrified characters automatically fail DEX saves.
   
5. Shatter or Smoosh: If the character makes the CON save, then they must make a DEX save DC 15. Fail=10d10 bludgeoning damage. Success, half damage pushed back to the statue in room 2, where the rolling cylinder touches the statue and magically disappears.
6. Recovering: This is a really brutal trap. I'm inclined to give the stone giants "stone salve", which can de-petrify a creature. If the group wants to take the time to glue their friend back together (with sovereign glue sold by Stallis in town) then they can use the stone salve to bring their friend back to life.

Sovereign Glue

6. Hall of Great Fortune: The door used to enter this room is trapped. Remember, the doors in here are opened via a lever that causes the door to slide into the floor. 

I'm going to change this one, a little. In the adventure, a magic mouth appears once the lever is pulled, but that doesn't make sense because the door slides into the floor. Right?

Approaching the Door:

• Approach: Once the group gets within 15 feet of the door, a magic mouth appears and says: “Return from whence you came, or face the dire wrath of Harseth the Neverlost.” 
• Detect: Perception DC 20 to see faint shimmering runes on the door.
• Disable: Arcana DC 15 or DEX check with thieves' tools DC 20. Success = trap nullified. Fail: trap triggered.
• Note: I'd also give the group an option. If they make their perception check, they can see that the lightning bolt won't fill the hallway. If they press up against the walls, they can harmlessly discharge the lightning bolt without taking damage, although their hair might get frizzy.
  
• Trigger: A character pulls the lever to open the door. 
• Effect: A lightning bolt shoots down the hallway! Everyone in the hallway must make a DEX save DC 15. Fail = 8d6 lightning dmg. Success = half damage.

The Actual Room: The room beyond appears to have an urn and a small sarcophagus with glowing runes on it. Both empty. This is an illusion. Investigation check DC 15 to see through it. 

The real room has mundane treasure worth a total of 1085 gp, plus a few weapons. The 3e "masterwork" weapons in 5e are just, really nice well-crafted items, no special bonus.

7. The Tomb: The hallway is enchanted to turn you around. Let's say that a character can defeat this with an Investigation check DC 15 or by casting dispel magic (Make an ability check using your spellcasting ability DC 15)

• Door: Is sealed with an arcane lock (STR check to bash open DC 25), and is trapped.
• Detect: Investigation check DC 15.
• Disable: Arcana DC 15 or DEX check with thieves' tools DC 20. Success = trap nullified. Fail: trap triggered.
• Trigger: When the lever is pulled to open the door.
• Effect: A fireball spreads down the hallway (affecting only the hallway). DEX save DC 15. Fail: 8d6 fire damage. Succeed: half damage.
  

The Room: Contains a sarcophagus that is 3 feet long, covered in mystic runes, 6 urns, and a coffer.

• 6 bronze urns: Worth 200 gp each.
• Coffer: Contains 2,000 gp worth of jewels.
• Secret Panel: Spot it with an Investigation check DC 12. There's a secret niche in the wall, holds magic items: Robe of scintillating colors,  ring of protection, and Harseth's wand:
  

Harseth's Wand of Imagery

Wand, uncommon (requires attunement by a Spellcaster)

This wand has 7 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 of its charges to cast the major image spell (save DC 15) from it.

The wand regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into ashes and is destroyed.

8. Corridor of Symbols: This is crazy. There are 5 invisible hovering symbols placed in the hallway, each flanked by a pair of statues of Harseth. 

In 5e, a symbol is supposed to be on a surface or object. Let's say that the symbols are on the floor between each statue.

Detect: Investigation check DC 15

Trigger: Walking between a set of statues. The glyph glows. Each creature within a 60 foot radius sphere is affected.

1. Death: CON save DC 15. Fail: 10d10 necrotic damage. Success: Half damage.
2. Pain: CON save DC 15. Fail: Incapacitated with excruciating pain for 1 minute.
3. Insanity: INT save DC 15. Fail: Target is driven insane for 1 minute. Can't take actions, can't undertand creatures, speaks in gibberish, DM CONTROLS THEIR MOVEMENT, WHICH IS ERRATIC. I'm sorry... but you know what to do. Run down the hall toward the symbols, my sweet summer child. You're free now.
4. Fear: WIS save DC 15. Fail: Frightened for 1 minute. Drop what you're holding, move at least 30 feet away from the glyph on each of your turns.
5. Death: Yeah, that's right. Monte used death twice! CON save DC 12. Fail: 10d10 necrotic damage. Success: Half damage.

9. The Magic Pool: The door to this room is sealed with an arcane lock (STR check to bash open: DC 25). Once past the door, the group have arrived at the final room!

Crystalline Formations: These huge shards are actually the tintibulum that the stone giants are looking for.

Pool: Drink from it: CON save DC 12. Fail: Take 5 poison damage.

Former Use: Before the pool 'went sour,' it had a positive magic effect. If you drank from it, you regained a spell slot as if you had used a pearl of power. I would guess that some characters would love to try to repair this pool and use this place as a base.

Tintibulium: Tintibulium possesses the unique property of full immunity to thunder energy. That means that not only can it be made into items immune to sonics, but it also can be used to make soundproof walls and containers. It is worth twice as much as its weight in gold, and is much rarer."

Campaign Note: I just thought of something. I can say that the lifebane from Labyrinth of madness has corrupted this pool.

Conclusion 

There we go! What happens next is up to what the characters did. If they befriended the giants, they can hand over the tintibulium. If they are murder hobos... they have tintibulum, a poison pool, and the magic items that once belonged to the Company of the Shining Stone.

Don't forget to pick up the actual adventure, A Question of Ethics on the DMs Guild. It's only a dollar.

Almost everything I can find about this adventure is culled from an interview on mimir.net.

Chris: "Encouraged by my earlier work, the RPGA® Network asked me to design a three-round AD&D Open tournament based on the PLANESCAPE® Campaign Setting. The result was a titanic trilogy of adventures collectively titled "Cutters." At close to 75,000 words, it's the longest thing I've ever written, and probably the best thing I've written as a freelancer. TSR was in financial turmoil at the time, so I wrote the adventure for free. The "Cutters" trilogy is mostly set in Sigil and takes place prior to the events chronicled in Faction War. The plot involves heroes from various factions working together to achieve a common goal-preventing the return of a not-quite-dead faction called the Incanterium. It's a matter of personal pride that I was able to incorporate over one-third of the NPCs from the Uncaged: Faces of Sigil accessory into the "Cutters" trilogy. I also found room to include the Lady of Pain in one climactic scene."

"Cutters" was my last project before being hired by Wizards of the Coast as the editor of DUNGEON Adventures. My first freelance project after joining the TSR family was "The Manxome Foe," an RPGA ADVENTURER'S GUILD™ module based on the PLANESCAPE campaign; the adventure was later included in the TSR JAM 1999 product."

Do you think we may see "Cutters" in print someday, as an actual Planescape product? Has this been considered by TSR or the RPGA?

Chris: "Cutters" will not appear as a future PLANESCAPE® product. At the end of Faction War, the factions (at least, the surviving ones) are banished from Sigil. Since "Cutters" is based in Sigil and features numerous factions, it no longer "fits" the current PLANESCAPE timeline. It's conceivable that it might appear in an electronic format someday, but there are no immediate plans to make this happen."

The Adventure is Huge

This site gives details on the actual 'product' (which is just photocopied paper stapled together). Check it out:

AD&D Open Tournament at Gen Con. Three Round Tourney for 8 players (round 1 in three parts).

Round 1 Players Pack (Characters)

• Players Intro - 2 pg
• Characters - 16 pg
• Round 1A Encounters - 37 pg
• Round 1B Encounters - 42 pg
• Round 1C Encounters - 40 pg
• Maps/Handouts -- 12 pg
  

Round 2 Player Pack

• Players Intro - 2 pg
• Characters - 18 pg
• Round 2 Encounters -- 38 pg
• Maps/Handouts -- 11 pg
  

Round 3 Player Pack

• Players Intro - 2 pg
• Characters -- 16 pg
• Round 3 Encounters -- 48 pg
• Maps/Handouts - 16 pg
  

The module is a Planescape module. The characters all represent different factions in Sigil. 

The Tower Sorcerous

Apparently, the adventure involves a vanishing tower. This person made what looks like a fantastic Planescape timeline. Check out the Post-Sigil Timeline:

"The Tower Sorcerous reappears after centuries, back in its original location. Three days later, it again disappears. (RPGA:C)"

This weird site has a nugget, too:

"1997's adventure was entitled Cutters, set in Planescape, with characters subtly potentially set against one another in the final round as representatives of Factions all seeking a dangerous tome."

Twitter Quest

Every year or so, I ask on twitter if anyone knows where I can find a copy of this adventure on twitter. In 2019, Chris Perkins himself responded.

"I remember the party woke up in jail. We were looking for someone, I played a rogue modron with drawers full of portal keys."

"There was a vaporighu that was completely f*cking terrifying. One of us died just trying to talk to him, and another got their mancatcher destroyed."

Help Me Find This Adventure

I'm on a quest. I want to read this thing. I want to write ridiculously huge articles about it.

The photo of the product is from this link.

Someone asked around about it on ENWorld.

Somebody sold one in 2018.

If you know anything about this product, any kind of information I can add to this article, contact me:

• My Twitter
• My Email: powerscorerpg@gmail.com
  

I hope somewhere down the road, maybe 5 years from now, I will have a copy of this adventure in my hands. I want to read it and dissect it. Maybe we can find a legal way to get everyone access to it through a DMs Guild charity product or something.

by Tony DiTerlizzi

I wrote a few sentences about them in my Guide to the Factions of Planescape, but I figure I'll dig up everything I can find, as it might give us more clues and info on what Planescape: Cutters is about.

You could use this in all sorts of ways. Having a few wizards running around in your campaign who sustain themselves by absorbing the magic from spells and magic items could lead to all sorts of cool adventures. An incantifer would make a great patron or a great villain. 

Essential Information

• Incantifers are wizards who have learned to absorb magic. 
• They no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe. All they need is arcane energy.
• They obsessively hoard magic items.
• They were a powerful faction in Sigil, lived in the Tower Sorcerous.
• One day, the tower and most of the incantifers vanished.
• A few incantifers pop up now and then. They hunt for magic items and are unpleasant to be around.  
• 5e Absorb Magic: Check out the 5e rod of absorption for a model of how this power might work.
• Healing: In 3rd edition, it is revealed that they can't be healed by normal means. They have to drain magic to heal their wounds.
• Magic Items: In 3e it also states that Incantifers can't drain permanent magic items - just potions, scrolls, and charges from wands and staves.
  

As far as I can tell, there are 3 known named Incantifers

• Tivvum: Vanished founder of Tivvum's Antiquities in Sigil.
• Alluvius Ruskin: Current proprietor of Tivvum's Antiquities, former protege of Tivvum.
  
• Trikante the Incantifer: Quoted in "Nemesis," from Dungeon Magazine #60.

Planescape Monstrous Compendium II

Incantifer (also known as the Magicians or Wanters)

Magic: The Incaterium believed that the secret to everything was wizardly magic. Magic is so powerful, that archmages change the rules of the worlds they deal with. Gods fear them.

They collect magic items and magical lore, storing it all in Sigil's Tower Sorcerous ("a dark fortress of knowledge and ambition").

Vanished: Things were going nicely for the Incanterium until one day, the Tower Sorcerous vanished. Rumors had it that they'd all been mazed by the Lady of Pain, but nobody really knew.

Once in a while, a member shows up in Sigil, still trying to master all the magic of the multiverse.

They are self-centered, ambitious spellcasters who wield great arcane power. Magic has changed and twisted them. Traits:

• Reeks of magic.
• Appears old and frail (they use magic to delay death).
• Their eyes are orbs of blank that shine silver.
• They have uncanny grace and agility despite their decrepit appearance.
• They do not need to breathe.
• Immune to extremes of temperature/environment. 
  
• They have incredible strength (18+).
• All of them are spellcasters of anywhere from 9th level to 18th level.
• Most are specialists: Wild mages, transmuters, conjurers, and evokers (Volo's Guide to Monsters stat blocks are perfect for this).
• They often use and cast spells nobody else has ever heard of.
  

Magic Items: Incantifers carry lots of magic items. The average incantifier has:

• 2-5 potions (healing, invisibility, invulnerability are common)
• 1-3 scrolls (flesh to stone, protection)
• 1-2 rings! (protection, regeneration, wizardry)
• 1-3 wands
• 2-5 miscellaneous magic items.
• Armor: An example of incantifier armor is a mage armor spell, a cloak of displacement, and a ring of protection.

Magic Absorption: Incantifiers have the ability to absorb magic. In 2e terms, this means that if they pass their 'magic resistance' roll, they ignore the effects of the spell and heal 1 HP per spell level absorbed.

• Absorbing a spell is like a rod of absorption.
• Even dispel magic can be absorbed.
• They can't absorb anti-magic auras.

Only a handful of Incantifers walk the planes.

Becoming an Incantifer: "Every so often, an incantifer will consent to teach a talented mage the secrets of their abilities, and cast a series of transformation spells that create a new incantifer."

The transformation requires dozens of dangerous spells and rituals that could take years to complete.
Example: One step might be to capture the flame of a balor from the Abyss. "The DM shouldn't allow player characters to attempt the feat."

Paranoid: They are very paranoid about their caches of magical treasure. They carry as much of their horde on their person as they can.

Anti-social: They have forgotten how to deal with people and see people as potential sources of magic.

Quest Givers: Incantifers often hire people for quests - dangerous quests that involve obtaining powerful magic items.

Absorbing Magic: They must absorb a certain amount of spell levels per month to sustain themselves. A 16th level Incantifer needs to drain 16 spell levels per month. They can also drain magic items. A rough conversion is given, explaining how many spell levels a magic item is worth (In 2e, magic items had an XP value. 500 XP equals 1 spell level).

The Incantifer Sect: They are no longer united, and don't get along. They see each other as rivals.

Philosophy: "Everything in the multiverse can be controlled by magic."

Enemies: They are their own worst enemies.

Alignment: Has to be neutral or evil. "...it's not a good act to turn one's back on humanity and become a devourer of other people's magic."

Uncaged: Faces of Sigil

There is a somewhat famous lanescape NPC named Alluvius Ruskin. She is an incantifer. Alluvius runs Tivvum's Antiquities, the largest supplier of gate keys in Sigil. 

Old: She is a small elderly tiefling who speaks in a shaky voice.

Draining: She can absorb spells or drain the power from a magic item. She has to absorb enough magic each month each month, or else she loses some of her power.

"For an incantifer, magic is the key to everything because if equals might - if a body gets enough of it, he can bend the multiverse to his will."

The Faction: "Centuries ago, the incantifers were a full-fledged faction in Sigil. Called the Incanterium - and nicknamed the Magicians - the magic-eaters grew in power and influence until they could make the other factions jump. Then they just disappeared one day, citadel and all."

Tivvum: One of the remaining incantifers, named Tivvum, took Alluvius under his wing. She spent 12 years going through spells and rituals that transformed her into an Incantifer.

Tivvum eventually vanished. Alluvius took over his shop, Tivvum's Antiquities.

Her Secret Scheme: Alluvius secretly wants to drain Sigil itself of magic. She assumes that the Lady of Pain derives power from the city, and that she will get weaker. Alluvius thinks that if she rules Sigil, with all its portals, she'll effectively rule the multiverse.

Dragon Magazine #339 - Planescape Dead Factions

This article updates some dead factions to 3rd edition rules.

The Incanterium: "The Incanterium believed that arcane amgic is the root of all power. A wizard can carve out his own demiplane or change the laws of reality. Master magic and you master existence."

History: They once controlled a good chunk of Sigil by hoarding power in the Tower Sorcerous and manipulating the other factions. "Then, one otherwise dull morning, the Tower Sorcerous and nearly every member of the Incanterium simply vanished. The Lady of Pain had made her judgment."

Biology: They must consume magical power to stay alive. Their natural processes are driven by raw magic.

Not Friends: They view each other as rivals.

Becoming: The ritual to become an Incantifer now takes only 7 days.

Healing: Incantifers do not heal naturally, and cannot be healed by normal means. Only the act of draining magic replenishes their physical health. 

Arcane Body: No need to eat, drink, or sleep. No negative effects from aging, no maximum age.

Spell Eater: Depends on magic to live, must absorb arcane magic to heal.  "If an arcane spell or spell-like ability does not beat an incantifer's spell resistance, the incantifer absorbs the magic and heals 1d4 hit points per level. Spells that ignore or oversome the incantifer's spell resistance affect him as normal."

"When a spell is negated by the incantifer's spell resistance, he may choose to use either the spell eater or spell leech ability, but not both."

Spell Leech: "If an arcane spell or spell-like ability does not beat the incantifer's spell resistance, the incantifer regains a spell of the absorbed spell's level that he has already cast that day..."

Spell Eater 2: We get some rules on draining magic items. "This ability has no effect on multiple-use items without charges, like magic weapons, armor, or rings."

I can see why they did that. You could end up with characters running around draining other people's magic items, either fellow members of the party, or all the bad guys in your adventure. It takes just one round.

I think if I was making this for 5e, I would definitely allow Incantifers to drain all types of magic items. Just say it takes 5 minutes, or an hour. A short rest, maybe.

Spell Leech 2: At 5th level, an incantifer can drain charges from a staff or wand to regain spells they have already cast. This can only be used on an item the incantifer is holding.

Dead Gods

In Chapter 7 of this adventure, titled "The Ruins of Pelion," the players are meant to make up new characters, who will play through events in the distant past. 

Because it takes place in the past, they can only be members of certain factions, as others didn't exist yet. It says: "Naturally, Sigil did have other factions at that time - including the Expansionists, the Sodkillers, and the Incanterium - but since those groups're long gone, it's easiest to leave them out. The DM's free to allow them if he wants to outline their parameters for the players."

The Planewalker's Handbook

There is a section on sects. "Some are former factions that fell in importance or membership (perhaps because of the Great Upheaval). Others are just groups that espouse ideas unique or limited to a particular plane or realm."

They list some more well-known groups, including: "The Incantifers, who believe that mastering magic is the key to total power.."

Faction War

This adventure is partly about a wizard who nearly killed the Lady of Pain. His mind resides in a magic gem called the Labyrinth Stone. Shattering the stone will activate long dormant magic. 

Alluvius Ruskin, the incantifier, has long sought the Labyrinth Stone. "She knows it contains the spirit of the ancient spellslinger, and she figures he could help her fight the Lady of Pain and ultimately conquer Sigil." 

The Incanterium is mentioned a few other times in the book.

Incanterium Control: "Chant has it that long ago, the Lower Ward was called the Prime Ward. Newcomers settled here. That is, such folks were actually herded here by the Sodkillers or the Incanterium, then-extant factions that didn't want primes wandering around the city and getting in the way of their business."

Alluvius Has Big Drain Ideas: She doesn't want to rule the city so much as drain every last drop of magic out of Sigil.

Her Home: "As an incantifer, Lu has no need to eat, sleep, or breathe. Fact is, her ring of hidden rooms and hallways - entombed in the stone walls of the tower, with no ventilation - contains very little oxygen."

Alluvius has a library. In it is a lot of cool stuff, including a book that lists portals and keys, a manual of golems (creates golems made of rope and portal keys) and:

A History of the Incanterium: Written by Tivvum himself! "Flimsy and faded, the book describes the founding of a faction of mighty spellslingers, the power they wielded in Sigil, and their eventual destruction by the Lady of Pain. (Tivvum survived, obviously, since he wrote about it, and he's the blood who made Lu what she is today.) The book also points out that the Incanterium derived its inspiration from the ancient wizard who challenged the Lady of Pain, only to become trapped in an impenetrable ebony jewel."

Dungeon Magazine #60 - Nemesis

Nemesis actually starts out like this: "Trikante the Incantifer once wrote of Vudra as "a dismal agglomeration of tropical islands choked with impenetrable jungles and surrounded by oceans of heaving blood."

4e Manual of the Planes

Yeah, that's right, Alluvius Ruskin is mentioned in the 4th edition Manual of the Planes! It's pretty much the same info, but here it is:

"Despite the taint of her infernal bloodline, “Lu” (as she is known to her frequent clients) seems innocuous, even charming, coming across as a kindly old person with her customers’ best interests at heart. The reality, though, is that Alluvius is a powerful mage whose magic can raise the trinkets of her store into animate constructs to defend it. What’s more, she’s a member of an ancient, nearly vanished sect called the Incanterium, and long rituals have infused her entire being with arcane magic. Magic sustains her to the exclusion of food and even air, and she’s hungry for more."

Dragon #414 - Bazaar of the Bizarre: From the Attic of Alluvius Ruskin

This article doesn't actually mention the Incanterium, but it gives lots of fun details about Alluvius and her shop.

We learn that she is looking more aged and frail. She sells all sorts of items, including:

• Mimir: A small floating skull that can record sounds around it and play them back.
• Karach Armor: Githzerai armor made from the essence of Limbo.
• Spellsoul Blade: A sword containing a soul, can do damage of different types.
• Modron Toy: Can summon a modron.

My Other Planescape Articles

• Guide to the City of Sigil
• Guide to the Factions of Planescape
• Guide to the Lady of Pain
• Guide to the Infinite Staircase
• Planescape Cutters: The Lost Adventure
• The First Session of my Huge Planescape Campaign 

Links

Mimir

RPG.net takes a stab at a 5e Incantifer

by Stephen Daniele

Later this year, I'm going to be running four old D&D adventures for my group, converted to 5th edition rules. All of these adventures were written by my favorite RPG author, Monte Cook:

• (lvl 12) A Question of Ethics
• (lvl 12) The Harrowing (from Dungeon Magazine #84)
  
• (lvl 14) Mysteries of the Dead Gods (based on an article Monte wrote in Dragon Magazine #240)
• (lvl 14) Demon God's Fane
• (lvl 16) A Paladin in Hell
• (lvl 18) Labyrinth of Madness

I posted the conversion of A Question of Ethics, so now we're going to jump in to The Harrowing!

Where to Buy: You can buy this adventure on amazon. Or you can get a .pdf version of The Harrowing for $5 on the Paizo site.

I figured it might be useful to post my conversion notes, both for my own reference and in case you ever to decide to run one of these adventures for your own group.

The original adventure is for 15th level characters. This conversion is for 12th level characters, as that is the level my group is at.

General Notes

We'll use the damage expression guidelines from the DMG. Levels 11-16:

• Setback: 4d10
• Dangerous: 10d10
• Deadly: 18d10
  

We'll also use the trap guidelines from the DMG:

• Setback: Save DC 10-11 Attack Bonus +3 to +5
• Dangerous: Save DC 12-15 Attack Bonus +6 to +8
• Deadly: Save DC 16-20 Attack Bonus +9 to +12

Magic Items: 3rd edition adventures give the villains a lot of magic items mostly to adjust for the math in that edition. 5th edition doesn't really need that, so I've discarded most of the stat-boosting magic items from the monsters. For example, one male drow has +1 armor, a +1 shield, and a +1 short sword. If I kept all those in this adventure, the group would end up with a mountain of +1 items.

To scale encounters, I am using kobold fight club.

5e Drow Stats

This is a fantastic opportunity to use the drow featured in Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes:

• Drow Arachnomancer CR 13
• Drow Favored Consort CR 18
• Drow House Captain CR 9
• Drow Inquisitor CR 14
• Drow Matron Mother CR 20
• Drow Shadowblade CR 11

I should probably list the drow in the Monster Manual while I'm at it:

• Drow CR 1/4
• Drow Elite Warrior CR 5
• Drow Mage CR 7
• Drow Priestess of Lolth CR 8
• Yochlol CR 10

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist:

• Drow Gunslinger CR 4

Monster Conversions

The internet is a blessing. There are some monsters in this adventure that don't exist in official 5e books. Luckily, there are intrepid souls out there who have made conversions, saving us a lot of time and effort:

• Aranea CR 3
• Bebilith CR 11
  

Concern: I am a bit worried about scaling. Some of these drow are probably too powerful for my group.

The thing about this party, though, is that they use a lot of "encounter-ending" abilities. Asana, the monk has stunning strike, and Linnet, the spellcaster, uses polymorph a lot.

Preserving the Monte Cook-ness

Throughout this conversion, I will suggest throwing out encounters. That said, after reading a bunch of these old Monte Cook adventures, I have learned that there are a number of monsters that he uses over and over. I assume he really likes these monsters, so I will always try to keep them in:

• Hezrou CR 8 (MM pg 60)
• Gray Render CR 12 (Mordenkainen's pg 209)
• Retriever CR 14 (Mordenkainen's pg 222)

It also seems like he is a fan of bodaks (Volo's pg 127) and succubi (MM pg 285).

Drow Research

I think before we start this conversion, we should dig through some books and see if there's any 5e drow lore we can use to spice things up. 

I actually wrote a guide to the drow, but that doesn't include stuff from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes:

• The conflict between Lolth and Corellon led to Lolth taking her elves to the Underdark.
• They believe they are superior to all other creatures.
• Non-drow are slaves, fodder, or sacrifices.
• Lolth sometimes randomly tests her followers by drawing their spirits to the Demonweb. Drow who fail these tests are transformed into a drider.
• Fitness and physical beauty are highly prized in male drow.
• When drow go on raids, they are primarily looking to enslave other creatures.
• Slaves are kept as a sign of status.
• Drow Trance: Unlike surface elves, when drow trance they simply dwell for a time in darkness and silence.

The Demonweb Connection: Drow do not fear demons. Demons are the highest form of slave that a drow house can own.

• Draegloths: The offspring of drow and glabrezu. 
• Yochlols: Personal servants of Lolth, they respond to the will of Lolth alone. All drow assume that some of their friends and neighbors are yochlol in disguise.
• Arachnomancers: Have a supernatural connection to the spiders of the Demonweb Pits.
• Inquisitors: Some can summon a yochlol once per day.
• Shadowblades: These ruthless killers have the power to summon shadow demons.
• Lolth: She demands sacrifices of treasure and blood.
  

Overall Story

Laveth's Plan: 

1. Capture a good cleric for sacrifice.
2. Gather her four power receptacles (hidden throughout a small area of the Demonweb).
3. Over the course of 3 days, perform The Harrowing ritual (which involves killing the good cleric).
4. The ritual will give her power (she will gain 8 levels!), and she will be strong enough to take the Demonweb from her mother.
   

Laveth's Symbol: Only her most trusted allies wear these. The group will need these symbols in order to pass safely through some of the Demonweb.

Adventure Summary

1. Rescue: The heroes try to find a kidnapped elf.
2. Follow Trail: Following a trail of dead birds, the heroes come to a cave.
   
3. Portal: In the caves are the abductors - drow. The abducted elf has been taken through a portal in the cave to the Demonweb to be sacrificed as part of a ritual.
4. Slaads: As the group explore, they see that slaads are attacking the Demonweb (Laveth hired them to provide a distraction while she tries to complete her ritual).
   
5. Stop the Ritual: The group goes through the portal to the Demonweb and try to stop Laveth from completing the ritual. They have 3 days to do so.
   

NPCs

This adventure has a lot of unique villains. Some are loyal to Laveth, others are loyal to Lolth. Those loyal to Lolth could become allies with the adventurers.

Lolth Loyalists

Countess Ullistrin: A vampire that likes to collect corpses and add them to a "party scene" in her home

• Vagdrioth: Consort of the Countess. He is chaotic-minded, and is in charge of administrative information. Has a pet gray render.
  
• Tarestique: 10th level cleric of Lolth, 2nd in command under Countess Ullistrin. 3 large Abyssal Spiders obey her. Keeps 4 elf slaves

Nulise: A blackguard, she is keeping an eye on the yochlol to see if there are traitors in their midst (there are).

• Bloodlust: Her pet raven, has eyes that glow red.

Laveth Loyalists

Laveth: Laveth is the daughter of Lolth, demon queen of spiders. Her father is a male drow wizard. Laveth wants the demonweb for herself.

• Four receptacles store her power.
• She has forged an alliance with slaad mercenaries. She sent them to attack the demonweb.
• Her drow agents have abducted a cleric of Corellon.
• Her symbol: Silhouette of a woman with four spidery appendages.
  

Realthican: Male drow, flesh is scarred in a web-like pattern. His robes have jewels in them set to look like spiders.

Tudrii: A female half-drow/half-demon, Is a rogue/fighter.

Helcav: Male Drow with a spider tattoo on his forehead, wears black and violet robes.

• Oliclin: A bodak that serves Helcav.
  

Eaman: A male arachnomancer who likes to add metal blades to living spiders. Laveth's most powerful servant. 

(Mercenary) Gylgurdreg: A death slaad who works with the slaad mercenaries.

Captives

• Alerian: A cleric of Corellon, god of the elves. Captured, is the key sacrifice in the ritual.
• Brudis Charif: Half-elf fighter, friend of Alerian, also captured.
  

(page 26) A Walk in the Woods

The elves have two problems:

1. There's a lot of dead birds in the woods.
2. Alerian, their high priest of Corellon, has gone missing (he was abducted by teleporting demons while he slept).

Dead Birds: The birds appear to have burst open from the inside. There are no maggots and no scavengers try to eat the remains.

Follow the Trail: The group follows the trail of dead birds, and notice that they encounter more and more strange tiny spiders. These spiders are black and red, and have tiny spikes and hooks on them.

The heroes can deduce that these spiders are poisonous to eat. The birds are dying because they are trying to eat these little planar spiders from the Abyss.

If the group somehow waited TWO DAYS to start investigating, there is a 30% chance per hour that they encounter a drow raiding party.

Medium 5e encounter:
1 Drow (MM pg 128)
1 Drow Mage (MM pg 129)
3 araneas

(page 25) Infested Cabin

The trail of dead birds leads to this cabin. The spiders cover the door.

Inside are two corpses - a human and a half-elf killed by the spider swarm.

Continuing to follow the path of dead birds leads to a ridge, and the aranea caves.

(pg 25) Aranea Caves

Note About Running the Caves: When I run this, my plan is to skip through most of these encounters. I might keep the ambush in A2 because it seems like a really cool encounter, but I'm ditching almost everything else.

I am worried that the group will get bored with what some might perceive to be "filler" fights. We're here for the demonweb, not araneas.

A1. Outside the Caves: Ridge is 80 feet high. There is a large boulder semi-concealing a cave entrance. You can squeeze past the boulder to get into the cave.

A2. Entry Cave: Ceiling is 40 feet high. 6 Araneas are hiding on the ceiling.

6 araneas

• Special attack: +5 to hit, a web strand pulls a character up to the ceiling. On the aranea's next turn, it tries to web them to the ceiling (+5 to hit, restrained.

Trap: There is an illusion (detect: Investigation check DC 12)concealing a trench-like spiked pit.

Let's use the spiked pit from the DMG

• 5d6 bludgeoning damage and 11 (2d10) piercing damage, CON save DC 13 or 22 (4d10) poison damage, half as much on a success.
  

A3. Storage Cave: 25 bundles (blood-drained corpses of elves, deer, and humans).

A4. Shaft Down: This shaft leads 100 feet deep into an underground river. STR check DC 10 or the current pulls you to A5.

A5. Guardians: The river leads to a pool that is 4 feet deep. The current might pull you into an underwater tunnel that drops you down to area A8. STR check DC 10 each round to resist.

There is a northern ledge. On top of it are a drider and 4 araneas.

Medium encounter:

• 1 drider (MM pg 120)
• 4 araneas

Note: This one definitely feels like an unnecessary encounter. My plan is to have the drider be here, but not attack. It hates the drow and if anything, will give the heroes information on what the drow are up to (it speaks Elvish and Undercommon).

Also, Laveth has drider servants in her temple (area d12). This drider might have been offered the opportunity to serve her, but turned it down, and has fled through the portal to escape her wrath.

A6. Tyeeinish's Cave: Dark cave with web-filled niches (spider-lairs).

Tyeenish: The aranea ruler, a half-demon. I made her a re-skinned retriever.

Tyeenish
Large beast, lawful evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 210 (20d10 + 100)
Speed 50 ft., fly 50 ft., climb 40 ft.

STR 22(+6) DEX 16(+3) CON 20(+5) INT 18(+4) WIS 11(+0) CHA 4(-3)

Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +10, Wis +5

Skills Perception +5, Stealth +8

Damage Immunities cold, fire, lightning, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't adamantine

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages understands Abyssal, Elvish, and Undercommon but can't speak

Challenge 14 (11,500 XP)

    Shapechange: Tyeenish can use its action to polymorph into a Medium beast or humanoid creature of CR 2 or lower, or from another form back into its own form. Tyeenish retains its Int, Wis, and Cha scores and its current hit points while polymorphed; otherwise, it takes on all the attributes of the adopted form. It can cast spells if the adopted form can provide the spell’s verbal and somatic components, and it retains its paralytic poison trait if the adopted form has a bite attack. A shapechanged aranea reverts to its natural form when slain.

    Spellcasting: Tyeenish uses Intelligence as their casting ability (DC 16, attack +9) and require no material components for their spells. Typical known spells are listed below, but individual aranea can know different spells.

• Cantrips (at will): dancing lights, mage hand, ray of frost
• 1st level (4 slots): mage armor, magic missile, shield, silent image, ventriloquism
• 2nd level (4 slots): invisibility, mirror image
• 3rd level (3 slots): lightning bolt, 
• 4th level (2 slots): Stoneskin

    Spider Climb: Tyeenish can climb any surface without making ability checks.

Actions

        Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 6) piercing damage,  and the target must make a successful DC 16 Con saving throw or become poisoned (see Paralytic Poison, below).

        Paralytic Poison: The poisoned creature has tactical disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. At the end of each of its turns, the poisoned creature must attempt a Con saving throw. On a result of 16 or higher, the poisoned condition ends and the character becomes immune to this aranea’s poison. On a result of 11–15, the poisoned condition continues. On a result of 10 or lower, the creature becomes paralyzed and no more saving throws are needed. Paralysis lasts for 1 hour or until the poison is neutralized

    Webs (recharge 5, 6): Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit (range 30 ft./60 ft.; one creature). Hit: The target is restrained by webs. A webbed creature can use its action to attempt a DC 16 Str (Athletics) check to escape. The web can also be destroyed by 5 points of slashing or fire damage against AC 10.

Large Abyssal Monstrous Spiders: They are just Giant Spiders (mm pg 328) with resistances: cold/fire.

A7. Web Lair: Floor is 100 feet down. Thick webs criss-cross the area. Things are wrapped in cocoon-like sacks.

• Cave floor is 100 feet down.
• Sacks: Hold 100+ aranea eggs.
• Bottom of Cave: a coffer with 240 gp, 10 gems worth 50 gp each, a jewelled bracelet worth 100 gp, and a potion of clairvoyance (DMG pg 187)

A8. Demons at Rest: Pool, column, water pours through hole in west wall.

Lurking here are the villains who actually abducted Alerian.

• Ilvadidra, Drow Priestess of Lolth CR 8 (MM pg 129), leader of the group.
  
• Ssoril, a hezrou CR 8 (MM pg 60)
• Alysthene, a succubus servant of the hezrou CR 4 (MM pg 285)
• Chazyk, a vrock CR 6 (MM pg 64)

Hard Encounter: As written, this is a deadly encounter. Let's say that the vrock is a coward and flees. That makes this a "hard" encounter, which sounds right to me.

I envision this as a scene where the group can spy on them and listen to their conversation, learning some details about how soon Laveth will rule the Demonweb. They speculate on how they will be rewarded. They should probably say out loud that the ritual will be done in three days, so tha tthe group is aware that they are on a time limit.

Symbol of Laveth: Ilvadidra has a symbol of Laveth -  a silhouette of a woman with 4 spidery appendages coming out of her sides.

A9. Another Web Lair: Webs, columns.

Hidden in the webs are two spider-silk bags.

• Bag 1: 12 gems, 50 gp each. 200 gp, 780 sp. Potion of Greater Healing (heals 4d4+4), and a potion of hill giant strength (DMG pg 187).
• Bag 2: 260 gp, 600 sp, potion of resistance (poison) (DMG pg 188).
  

A10. The Gate: The portal is a "hole in space" that "leads into a starry, black void."

Those who pass through appear in D1. The gate can only be damaged by Laveth's 4 power receptacles.

Bebilith: A bebilith is guarding the gate. The bebilith is CR 11, which is an easy encounter for a 12th level group. I probably wouldn't use this encounter anyway, so no big deal.

A11. Drow Garrison: In the adventure, there are 7 male drow and 2 spellcasting drow here. That actually scales nicely! It's a hard encounter.

• 7 Drow (MM pg 128)
• 2 Drow Mages (MM pg 129)

Treasure: 2 iron boxes (locked and trapped)
Lock: DC 20
Trap: (Spot trap = Investigation DC 20, disable = DEX check w/ tools DC 15) Poison needle. Take 1 piercing dmg and 11 (2d10) poison dmg, and roll a CON save DC 15. Fail = poisoned for 1 hour.

• Potion of greater healing (DMG pg 187)
• Scroll of spider climb (PH pg 277)
• Scroll of greater restoration (PH pg 246)
• Scroll of remove curse (PH pg 271)
• scroll of heal (PH pg 250)
• Scroll of fly (PH pg 243)
• Scroll of see invisiblity (PH pg 274)
• Scroll of Summon Lesser Demons (Xanathar's pg 167)

I think that, for my game, I'll just leave this room empty, too.

(pg 30) Demonweb (Areas D1 - D19)

Let's mix in the info on the Demonweb from the DMG:

"Lolth’s layer is an immense network of thick, magical webbing that forms passageways and cocoon-like chambers. Throughout the web, buildings, structures, ships, and other objects hang as if caught in a spider’s snare. The nature of Lolth’s web creates random portals throughout the plane, drawing such objects in from demiplanes and Material Plane worlds that figure into the schemes of the Spider Queen. Lolth’s servants also build dungeons amid the webbing, trapping and hunting Lolth’s hated enemies within crisscrossing corridors of web-mortared stone.

Far beneath these dungeons lie the bottomless Demonweb Pits where the Spider Queen dwells. There, Lolth is surrounded by her handmaidens — yochlol demons created to serve her and which outrank mightier demons while in the Spider Queen’s realm."

In this adventure, it says: "Below the Demonweb, in chasms sunken within absolute darkness, lie the dreaded Demonweb Pits."

Stages: In many of these encounters, we are given information on what creatures are in the area depending on what "stage" of the ritual is occurring. The group gets two longs rests... if they take a third, the ritual gets completed and Laveth succeeds in her evil scheme.

In the early stages, the slaads are fighting the drow. In stage 3, the conflict has been decided one way or another.

Power Receptacles: The group is going to need to find the four power receptacles to defeat Laveth. These things are hard to find. Here they are:

1. D9D. Balcony: Hidden inside a hollow statue.
2. D14C. The Captain: Embedded in the remains of the captain on the pirate ship.
   
3. D18C. Laveth's Chamber: In a hidden compartment in the floor.
   
4. P4. The Ritual Chamber: Resting on the altar.
   

My Campaign: I'm handing out the 20 sigils needed for the Labyrinth of Madness in these adventures, so I am thinking that I'll put one sigil on each of the power receptacles? Or maybe, I'll have a sigil near each  receptacle? So the sigil is subtly guiding the group to their objectives?

Symbols of Laveth: If the group aren't wearing symbols of Laveth, they can't access the final areas. I will be sure to note which areas contain symbols.

Demonweb: The magic of the web creates magic, random portals that draws in buildings, structures, and ships.

• Doors: Unlocked, wooden doors.
• Ceilings: 15 feet high.
• Magic Conditions: Web spells spread out to fill twice the area they normally should.
• Saves vs. poison are at disadvantage.
• Spider climb lasts twice as long.

Pathways: Round tubes made of extra-tough webbing.

• Immune to fire/cold/lightning.
• Has a damage threshold of 10, has 20 hit points.
• The area outside the map is a black void filled with strands of webbing in all directions. 
• Falling: Plunge 10d100 feet before hitting a web strand and becoming caught. Take falling damage as normal.
  

D1. Arrival: The heroes pass through the gate. Web walls, ceilings and floor show faces of the souls of the damned.

Wall: Damage Threshold 20, HP 200. If broken, 10 chaos specters are released from the interior walls and attack anyone nearby.

10 Chaos Specters: They are normal specters with chaotic alignments. (MM pg 279)

D2. Nexus: Dead slaads. 

• Stage 2 & 3: corpses are gone.
  

D3A. Drow Defenders:

1. Stage 1: 4 drow (MM pg 128) vs 3 green slaad (MM pg 277), 2 blue slaad (MM pg 276)
   
2. Stage 2: 5 drow vs 1 red slaad captive (MM pg 276)
   
3. Stage 3: 5 drow

Treasure: 5 trunks: 2d6 gems worth 50 gp each

Spellbook: Cover is cornugon hide, pages made of dried webbing.

D3B. Room in Disarray: Weapons, mats. 

Trap: The door to 3c is trapped.

D3C. Priestess's Chamber: Bed suspended by chains, Paintings, Stone, 3 spiders, 4 shackled elves

Door Trap: Glyph of Warding 20 foot radius thunder damage DEX save DC 15 5d8 thunder damage, half on save.

Note: Tarestique is loyal to Lolth and serves the vampire Ullistrin.

Tarestique and the 3 spiders are a medium encounter

• Tarestique: Drow Priestess (MM pg 129)
  
• 3 Large Abyssal Monstrous Spiders: They are Giant Spiders (mm pg 328) with resistances: cold/fire.

Treasure: (cursed) Onyx statue of Lolth (1,000 gp): Curse: When taking a rest, gain no benefits. Remove curse (PH pg 271) ends this effect. Drow are immune to this curse.

Wardrobe: Clothing, perfumes, spyglass, whip, manacles, 3 potions of greater healing (heal 4d4+4), scroll of raise dead, bag with 100 gems worth 10 gp each, coin purse containing 50 pp.

D4. Demon Roost: Bronze trap door. Pull open: Room with a pool and perches. 

(4 vrocks and a hezrou are way too hard. 1 vrock and a hezrou are a medium encounter)

• 1 Vrock (MM pg 64)
  
• 1 Hezrou (MM pg 60)
  

Treasure: 10, 543 cp, 5,390 sp, ring of resistance (lightning) (DMG pg 192).

D5. Countess Ullistrin's Chambers: Keep in mind that Ullistrin is loyal to Lolth, and will help the group if given the opportunity. 

• Finding Ullistrin: The group will likely encounter Ullistrin in area D6C., but they might find her resting in her sarcophagus in D5B.
  
• Potential Ally: She can tell the group that Laveth has a power receptacle hidden in D18C. Laveth's Chamber.

D5A. The Endless Gate: Corpses of humanoids (completely drained of blood) are posed as if they are at a party. 2 invisible gray slaads prowl about. 

(2 gray slaads are a hard encounter)

• 2 Gray Slaads (MM pg 277)

Notes: I'm very worried about this being an unnecessary combat, so I might have the drow atack the slaad no matter what, to show the group that these drow not only hate the slaad, but they are clearly wearing symbols of Lolth.

Treasure: 54 pp, gold ring with ruby (120 gp), silver/gold statuette  (300 gp),

• Stage 2: 2 gray slaads (MM pg 277) are fighting 6 drow (MM pg 128)
  
• Stage 3: 6 drow (MM pg 128)
  

D5B. Countess Ullistrin's Resting Place: Stone sarcophagus.

Secret Compartment in the Sarcophagus: Trap: 30 ft square poison gas: CON sv DC 15 or 3d12 poison damage, save for half.

Treasure: 300 gp, jeweled scepter (1,000 gp), crystal ball (DMG pg 159).

• Stage 1: Nobody's here.
  
• Stage 2: Countess is in the sarcophagus.
• Stage 3: Nobody's here.
  

D6A. Outer Chamber: 8 floating discs, bronze statue of drow on each.

• 2 discs: have no statues
• Bronze-topped Wood Desk with papers and files.
• Cushions

D6B. Trapped Hall: Walls and floors, spider-like frescoes.

Step in from D6A. (Trap): The first person to step on the floor triggers symbol of death that affects only them.

• Detect: Investigation Check DC 15
• Disable: Arcana or DEX check with thieves' tools DC 15.
• Trigger: Touch the door to D6C.
  
• Effect: CON save DC 15, 10d10 necrotic damage, half on save.

Door to D6C.(Trap):

• Detect: Investigation Check DC 15
• Disable: Arcana or DEX check with thieves' tools DC 15.
• Trigger: Touch the door to D6C.
  
• Effect: Entire hallway filled with a firestorm: DEX save DC 15, 8d6 fire damage, save for half.

D6C. Render's Den: 2 pedestals.

Pedestals: 3 feet wide, 2 feet high. If a battle breaks out, Ullistrin and Vagdrioth each stand on one.

(If all 3 creatures are in here, this is a beyond-deadly encounter. Vagdrioth and the render are a hard encounter alone. The vampire on her own is a medium difficulty encounter!)

• Ullistrin, Vampire (MM pg 279)
  
• Vagdrioth, drow mage (MM pg 129)
  
• Gray Render (Mordenkainen's page 209)
  

D7. Yurganthaor's Lair:

by Stephen Daniele

Globe: AC 18 Damage Threshold 20 HP 150

• 15 foot diameter black sphere hovering 10 feet off the floor. 
• Place for the nalfeshnee to sleep among his pile of treasure.
  
• If the nalfeshnee dies, it vanishes.

The nalfeshnee has the ability to teleport as an action. So, it can teleport in and out of the globe as it likes.

Hole in Floor: Passage to D18A.

(the nalfeshnee is a medium encounter)

• Yurganthaor, Nalfeshnee (MM pg 62)
  

Treasure: 1,320 gp, four 50 gp gems, scrolls of wall of fire (PH pg 285) and telekinesis (PH pg 280).

D8. Upper Chamber: A trap door in the ceiling leads into a little supply room. Empty crates, barrels, and sacks. Good place to rest!

• Stage 1: Room is empty
• Stage 2: 2 blue slaads (MM pg 276) (2 slaads is a medium encounter)
  
• Stage 3: Room is empty

D9. Crystal Tower of the Yochlol: 100 ft tall tower made of purple crystal. The yochlol here are loyal to Lolth.

Notes: I am very amused at the idea of the heroes meeting with the yochlol and hanging out with them in a sunken pit of gunk in D9C., explaining Laveth's plot and asking for help.

From what I can tell from the text, these yochlols are not loyal to Lolth? I mean, they have one of Laveth's power receptacles stashed in a statue, so yeah they must be. Nulise, a drow blackguard, has been sent by Lolth to check them out. 

This will get weird if the yochlols use detect thoughts on the heroes. The yochlols are very powerful! The group could be in big trouble. Nulise could bail them out, I guess.

Honestly I'm sort of inclined to change this. Maybe one yochlol is a traitor? And that traitor can be rooted out?

by Stephen Daniele

Yochlol Research 

I'm going to dig through the Monster Manual real quick to see what we can learn about yochlols:

• Handmaidens of Lolth
• Lolth's spies, taskmasters, and agents. Serve no demon lords except Lolth.
• Shape Shift: "Outside the Abyss, a yochlol can assume the guise of a female drow or monstrous spider to conceal its demonic form."
• True Form: A pillar of yellow slime with a single eye.
• Poison Touch: Touch is venomous.
• Spells: Can cast detect thoughts, web, and (1/day) dominate person.
• Mist Form: Can become a poisonous cloud with flying speed of 30.
  

D9A. Defenses: (Trap) 5 dragon heads on the floor.

• Disable: Speak password, or cast Dispel Magic (PH pg 234) Make an ability check using your spellcasting ability DC 15, or destroy heads (see stats below).
  
• Trigger: If you enter the tower without speaking the password, the dragon heads all breathe 5-foot wide streams, 1 head per character, per round.

Dragon Head: AC 14 Damage Threshold 10 HP 50 

1. Red: DEX save DC 12 10d6 fire damage, half on save.
2. Black: DEX save DC 12 8d6 acid damage half on save.
3. White: DEX save DC 12 7d6 cold damage, half on save
4. Blue: DEX save DC 12 9d6 lightning damage, half on save.
5. Green: DEX save DC 12 8d6 poison damage, half on save.

D9B. Guard Chamber: "Drow matron in spider silk robes" (a yochlol with 2 yochlol nearby in mist form).

• Detect Thoughts: I am thinking that the yochlol can use detect thoughts to scan a character's mind and will immediately understand why the heroes are here. She could press further, giving the character a WIS save DC 14 to block it. 

Bas-reliefs: Spiders menacing victims caught in giant web.

(2 yochlols is a hard encounter. 3 is deadly!)

• 3 yochlols (MM pg 65)
  

D9C. Yochlol Lair: (each lair is home to 3 yochlol)

3 Sunken Pits: Give off a pungent odor. Yochlols are in the pools, giggling.

• Getting in a Pit: Make a CON save DC 11. Fail: Catch sewer plague. Symptoms manifest in 1d4 days.
  

Treasure: Small steel boxes (Trap: Glyph of warding. Detect: Investigation check DC 15. Disable DC 15. Effect: 20 foot radius DEX save DC 15 5d8 fire damage, half on save)

• 2 gems worth 50 gp, 20 pp, small silver brooch of a spider (this grants access to restricted areas)

D9D. Balcony: Drow woman with two-bladed sword on balcony, has a large black raven with black eyes.

• Nulise: Blackguard (Volo's pg 211)

Notes: As a CR 8, she is not a threat to the party. But this place isn't really about combat - it' about rooting out who is loyal to Laveth, and finding the power receptacle!

For my campaign, which involves the sigils from the Labyrinth of Madness, I might say Nulise has the second sigil on her hand - a clue that she's not the enemy. Maybe I'll put a sigil near each of the power receptacles. Maybe one will be on Alerian.

D9E. Obsidian Queens: 10 obsidian statues depicting female drow.

Statue in Center of Room: (hollow - has a secret latch, splits the statue to reveal the treasure)

• Treasure: Floating inside the statue is one of the power receptacles. Oblong, faceted green gem worth 5,000 gp

D9F. Shrine of Lolth: Statue of Lolth in her half-spider form. Bowl and a knife nearby.

Animated Statue of Lolth: 10 feet tall, 12 feet wide, painted, (...lunges menacingly at those who peer through the door." Has ruby eyes, each worth 500 gp.

East Brazier: Contains a block of incense: If burned, the statue poses regally and expects a blood sacrifice. If a sacrifice is made, bless spell lasts 24 hours.

Fail to burn incense within 5 rounds or remove an eye: The statue screams. All in the room make a CON sv DC 15 10d8 thunder, save for half.

Notes: There was a curse in the 3e version of this adventure, but I'm going to ignore it. I'll just use the "scream" effect.

D10. Nightmare Assassin: Flat platform of rusty iron, dead slaad.

(The CR 14 retriever is a medium encounter)

• Retriever (Mordenkainen's page 222)

Over the Edge: Remember, this is on an open platform. A character could fall off the side and into the nothingness.

• Paralyze: The retriever has a paralyzing beam: "If the paralyzed creature is Medium or smaller, the retriever can pick it up as part of the retriever’s move and walk or climb with it at full speed." 
• Pick Up & Drop: So, it could paralyze a creature, pick it up, move, let go.
  
• Falling: Plunge 10d100 feet before hitting a web strand and becoming caught. Take falling damage as normal.

Dead Slaad Treasure: Potion of Invisiblity (DMG pg 188)

D11. Arachnomancer and Rogue: Beds, dishes

• Stage 1: Realthican and Tudriiare here.
  
• Stage 2: Realthican and Tudriiare here.
  
• Stage 3: Nobody's here (Realthican and Tudrii are at the ritual).
  

(These two are a hard encounter)

• Realthican, Drow Arachnomancer (Mordenkainen's pg 182)
  
• Tudrii, "half-drow/half-demon" (cambion, MM pg 36)

Run? Looking at Realthican's spells, it seems like a good bet is to drop an insect plague and then dimension door away. He doesn't have a lot of bombs to drop. 

Symbol of Laveth: Both Tudrii and Realthican have symbols of Laveth -  a silhouette of a woman with 4 spidery appendages coming out of her sides.

Treasure: 2 locked trunks (Open DC 20, 20 pp, four 100 gp gems, jeweled mirror, 3 potions of greater healing (4d4+4), 1 potion of flying (DMG pg 187).

D11B. Open Platform: Suspended wood platform (descends to D12)

D12. Temple of Laveth: Only servants of Laveth and those bearing her secret symbol are allowed. If intruders enter, 2 driders magically appear in the pool and attack.

Anti-Magic Field: Except in the pool.

Pillars: Web patter, leering demonic face at the top.

Mural: Drow woman holding green gem (Laveth holding power receptacle)

Pool: Shallow, 20 feet across, transparent liquid. 1 foot drop. Radiates enchantment magic.

• Touch Water: CON save DC 15 or stunned for one round. WIS save DC 12 or Laveth controls you. She scars your mind until you save.

(Normally 2 driders is an easy encounter, but the anti-magic field and the pool I think will make up for it)

• 2 driders (MM pg 120)
  

D13A. Helcav and Friend: Walls have sculptures of humanoids riding dragons, fighting demons.

• Stage 1: Helcav and Oliclin.
  
• Stage 2: Drow with spider tattoo on forehead.
• Stage 3: Oliclin is here, Helcav is at ritual.

It's an easy encounter with just the bodak and the mage, so I added some abyssal spiders to bump it up to a medium encounter.

• Helcav, Drow Mage: (MM pg 129) He has a wand of viscid globs.
  
• Oliclin, Bodak: (Volo's pg 127)
• 3 Large Abyssal Monstrous Spiders: They are just Giant Spiders (mm pg 328) with resistances: cold/fire.

Symbol of Laveth: Helcav has a symbol of Laveth -  a silhouette of a woman with 4 spidery appendages coming out of her sides.

D13B. Helcav's Bedchamber: Bed, tables.

Large Bound Chest: (locked DC 20 to open) Mummified drow hand (a hand of the mage), 10 ivory figurines worth 100 gp each, figurines of spider-faced women doing ballet.

• Hand of the Mage: This mummified elf hand hangs by a golden chain necklace. It allows the wearer to utilize the cantrip mage hand at will.

D14. The Ship: Large ship, gray sails.

D14A. Rummaging Fiends: 2 hezrou rummaging for food. 

(2 hezrou is a medium encounter)

• 2 hezrou (MM pg 60) 

Note: While this seems like a superfluous encounter, I do want to make sure the hezrous are present, because they are a Monte Cook favorite and we are running a Monte Cook campaign.

D14B. Doomed Crew: Wrecked ship, ghostly crew materializes.

(easy encounter, I'll probably skip this one).

• 8 chaos spectres (specters, MM pg 279)
  

D14C. The Captain: Foul odor, creature with legs molded to the floor - green object in center of body.

Notes: Let's base the Captain's stats on a mummy lord, which is a CR 15 monster - a hard encounter. We'll use the numbers but swap in powers from the adventure. 

This is a weird monster. It doesn't have a melee attack! It has a 0 speed! In the 3e adventure, it has a bunch of spells, but most of them seemed useless, and I figure that the legendary actions make up for it.

One thing I'm a little unsure of is the breath weapon damage. It's a CR 15 monster, so I just lifted the numbers from the adult bronze dragon... but 101, 88 points of damage seems like a lot.

The point of this encounter is just to get in there, grab the gem, and get out.

The Captain 

Medium undead, Chaotic evil

• Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 97 (13d8 + 39)  (If this seems low, you could go with 143 HP max)
  
• Speed 0 ft. (yes, zero feet)
  

STR 18(+4) DEX 10(+0) CON 17(+3) INT 11(+0) WIS 18(+4) CHA 16(+3)

• Saving Throws Con +8, Int +5, Wis +9, Cha +8
• Skills History +5, Religion +5 
• Damage Resistances: cold, fire, acid
• Damage Immunities: lightning, necrotic, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
• Languages Common, Abyssal
  

Challenge 15 (13,000 XP)

Magic Resistance. The captain has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Death Gaze: When a creature that can see the captain’s eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of the captain, the captain can force it to make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw if the captain isn’t incapacitated and can see the creature. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is reduced to 0 hit points, unless it is immune to the frightened condition. Otherwise, a creature takes 16 (3d10) psychic damage on a failed save.

Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes to avoid the saving throw at the start of its turn. If the creature does so, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against the captain until the start of its next turn. If the creature looks at the bodak in the meantime, it must immediately make the saving throw. 

Actions

Dreadful Glare. The captain targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can see the captain, it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened until the end of the captain’s next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare of the captain for the next 24 hours.

Breath Weapon (Recharge 5–6). The captain exhales force energy in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 88 (16d10) force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Legendary Actions

The captain can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The captain regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

• Blinding Glare. The green power receptacle flares with sickening light. Each creature within 5 feet of the captain must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the creature’s next turn.
• Abyssal Word (Costs 2 Actions). The mummy lord utters an Abyssal word. Each non-undead creature within 10 feet of the captain that can hear the magical utterance must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the captain’s next turn.
• Channel Negative Energy (Costs 2 Actions). The captain magically unleashes negative energy. Creatures within 60 feet of the captain, including ones behind barriers and around corners, can’t regain hit points until the end of the mummy lord’s next turn.

Treasure: Power Receptacle: Green gem worth 5,000 gp.

D15. Material World Gate: 10 foot platform with runes, swirling column of violet mist.

Column of Mist: Gate to a prime world the Lolth conquered long ago, and has grown bored with. It's a wasteland, with ruined cities overrun by demons, monstrous spiders, and undead. 

• The world is dark and cold, sun is shrunken and white. Ruined cities, withered plants, undead.
• The portal/gate brings you to the bottom of a crater.
• Crater is guarded by an iron golem (MM pg 170) in the shape of a spider. 

(One iron golem is a hard encounter!)

D16. Dimensional Interference: How cool is this? We're about to learn how Lolth pulls things into the Demonweb!

D16A. Abyssal Clock:There's a pit.. and a clock.. see the pic. A pit with 12 numerals around it, lever points at 4.

by Stephen Daniele

Clock: Shaft slowly points to hour.

Pit: Permanent darkness (PH pg 230) spell. 30 feet deep, 10 feet of acid (damage: 10d10 acid). Has 3 tentacles!

Disturb the Clock: 3 large, metal tentacles grapple and try to pull you into the pit. Up to 3 medium creatures at once, or 1 large creature.

Notes: There is actually a similar scenario in the Acquisitions Inc. book that we can draw inspiration from here. The enormous tentacles use the stat block of a giant constrictor snake with these changes:

    It can reach anywhere inside this room.
    It has no bite attack.

Metal Tentacles

AC 12 HP 60 (8d12 + 8) Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
STR 19(+4) DEX 14(+2) CON 12(+1) INT 1(−5) WIS 10(+0) CHA 3(−4)

Skills Perception +2
Senses blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages—
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Damage Immunities: acid

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned

Actions

Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach: this room., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the tentacle can’t constrict another target.

A creature grappled by the tentacle is pulled to the edge of the pit. On the next round, if the creature is still grappled, the tentacle pulls it into the acid pit, taking 10d10 acid damage. There, the tentacle has three-quarters cover, and the creature can’t breathe.

D16B. Open Area: 4 obelisks with knobs. Large Iron lever. Floating image of a desert with red sand.

4 Obelisks: Each has a large round knob

• Generates the floating image
• Knobs can be turned like dials, bring different worlds/places into view.
• Only Lolth can use this device accurately. Too difficult to pinpoint a specific person or place.
  

Treasure: In a hidden compartment in the floor is a Power Receptacle (green gem worth 5,000 gp).

D18D. Gas Trap: Walls carved with faces in torment. 4 gold censers hung from ceiling (censers are 20 feet up).

• Trigger: Cross the room without bearing a symbol of Laveth
• Effect: Both doors seal with arcane lock (PH pg 215). poison gas billows from the 4 censers. CON save DC 15 10 poison damage per round.
• Disable Poison: Plug holes in 4 censers takes 4 actions, sleight of hand DC 12.

D18E. The Spider Throne: Ebony throne with two extremely valuable rubies. has eight twitching spider legs.

Throne (Trap): If you sit on the throne or mess with the rubies on it, all 8 legs cast finger of death on the offending creature! CON save DC 15 7d8+30 necrotic damage, half on save.

• Stage 1: 2 Abyssal Spider Ghosts
• Stage 2: Laveth on the throne (her stats are in the ritual chamber section below. She can use the throne's attacks!)
  
• Stage 3: 2 Abyssal Spider Ghosts

(2 spiders is a super-easy fight, but this room isn't about the monsters. It's about the throne, which is 100% an instant death trap).

Finger of Death: Remember that a humanoid killed by finger of death rises at the start of Laveth's next turn as a zombie that is permanently under her command, following her verbal orders to the best of its ability.

2 Abyssal Spider Ghosts: We can just use phase spider stats (MM pg 334).

Treasure: The 2 rubies are worth 10,000 gp each.

S19. Orifice: Purple light, hole with smoke, strand of web from ceiling drops 1,000 feet down into pit.

This strand lands into a Demonweb Pit (P1. Laveth's Secret Garden)

• Stage 1: Nobody here.
  
• Stage 2: Nobody here.
  
• Stage 3: Any villains that the group hasn't encountered yet (Realthican, Tudrii, Helcav [with Oliclin], and Eaman).
  

Demonweb Pits

These pits collect anything that falls from the demonweb. The sides of the pits are made from semi-solid, impenetrable darkness. You can fly from one pit to another.

P1. Laveth's Secret Garden: Round platform covered in plants (Iron hatch hidden in the ground). Green/yellow bell flowers.

24 Bell-Flower Blooms: If you are not wearing a Laveth symbol, d4 flowers attack each round.

AC 10 HP 10
Damage Immunities: acid
Damage Vulnerabilities: fire, cold

Actions

Melf's acid arrow (PH pg 259): rg 90 +8 to hit. On a hit, the target takes 4d4 acid damage immediately and 2d4 acid damage at the end of its next turn. On a miss, the arrow splashes the target with acid for half as much of the initial damage and no damage at the end of its next turn.

Iron Hatch: (Locked DC 20) iron ladder.

P2. Norded's Head: Iron ladder 30 ft square room, 20 feet below. 2 barrels, dwarf's head floating. It speaks.

Dwarf Head: Surrounded by a wall of force (PH pg 285). Thunder passes through it.

Nordred's attacks pass through the wall of force. Let's say he can cast a modified version of destructive wave (PH pg 231) at will: Each creature you choose within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw DC 15 or take 10d6 thunder damage, and be knocked prone. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn’t knocked prone.

• If wall of force is destroyed, it restores itself in d4 rounds.
• Nordred is churlish. People without a symbol of Laveth can't pass.
• If the group can get past the wall of force, Nordred is easily defeated. I mean, he's just a head.
  

Metal Plate: Behind head, bears symbol of Laveth. The plate is not in the wall of force.

• Touch the plate: Teleported to P3 in a flash of light.

P3. The Prison: Platform suspended by webs. Center cut out. 7 globes, each holding a creature, are floating above the pit.

Plates: One sends you back to P2, the other sends you to P4.

Spheres: Permanent Otiluke's resilient sphere (PH pg 264) Nothing passes through (can breathe, though). The sphere is immune to damage.

• Disintegrate (PH pg 233) spell destroys a sphere without harming the creature inside. 

Release: Creature will fall into pit, 1,000 feet down. A retriever (Mordenkainen's pg 222) lurking down there will then kill the creature.

1. Globe 1: Tzarrc: A vrock (MM pg 64) that angered Laveth. Dimensional shackles on legs.
2. Globe 2: Ghaundan: A drider (MM pg 120) that betrayed Laveth.
3. Globe 3: Maldorl: Drow (MM pg 128)who tried to spy on Laveth for Lolth.
4. Globe 4: Esad: Male elf (commoner MM pg 344), sacrifice.
5. Globe 5: Nariel: Female elf (commoner MM pg 344).
6. Globe 6: Alerian: Elf cleric of Corellon (priest MM pg 348), the person the group is looking for. (If in stage 3, Alerian's bubble is empty).
   
7. Globe 7: Brudis Charif: Half-elf fighter (thug MM pg 350), ally of Alerian.

Treasure in Pit: 230 sp, 60 gp.

P4. The Ritual Chamber:

by Stephen Daniele

(Note: If you're in Stage 3, any receptacles that the group didn't obtain are now here by the altar)

• The heroes appear on a stone ledge.
• The ledge overlooks a large chamber filled with huge webs.
• In the webs, suspended 20 feet above the heroes, is a rusted iron platform
• On the iron platform is an altar. 
• Floating above the altar is the final power receptacle.
  
• Reaching the platform: Flying and teleporting.
• Scarlet mist rises from below.

Scarlet Mist: (drow immune). CON save DC 12. Fail: Become incapacitated, Fall into a deep sleep filled with horrible nightmares. Holding your breath gives you advantage on the save.

Ledge: Lined with four horizontal rows of 13 crystalline spiders (52 total). Each embedded in the wall.

1. Row 1: Flush with the floor.
2. Row 2: 10 feet above the floor.
3. Row 3: 30 feet above the floor.
4. Row 4: 50 feet above the floor.

(Trap) Crystalline Spiders: AC 10 HP 5 (Anyone holding a power receptacle is immune to this trap.)

• Invisible rays connect one spider to another, forming a lattice. 
• Detect: Those who can see invisible can see the rays. 
• Disable: Shattering the spiders shuts down the trap.
• Deactivate: Say in Drow: "All hail Laveth!"
  
• Avoid Rays: Acrobatics check DC 15 to move through without passing through a ray.
• Pass Through a Ray: Every 5 feet of movement, make a CON save DC 15 or take 4d10 force damage.
  

Who is here?

1. Stage 1: Empty
2. Stage 2: Empty.
3. Stage 3:

Laveth stands atop the altar, her demonsblood sword drawn. Alerian is lying on the altar, overcome by the scarlet mist.

1. She must kill him and allow his blood to spill on the altar.
2. Then she must touch each of the receptacles to the altar. 
3. As she touches them, each receptacle turns to powder, and Laveth is infused with green energy.

Laveth is an arachnomancer (Mordenkainen's page 182) with a few changes. 

• AC: She's wearing web armor, which gives her an AC of 20.
• HP: She has max HP: 250
• Damage Immunities cold, fire, lightning, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't adamantine 
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
• Immutable Form: Laveth is immune to any spell or effect that would alter her form.
  
• (Melee Attack) Demonsblood Sword: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage, plus 21 (6d6) poison damage.
  

Demonsblood Sword: +3 longsword, made of hardened demon's blood.

For the sake of simplicity, let's say that this blade is made from the blood of a yochlol. That gives the blade the yochlol's melee attack effect: longsword damage +3,  plus 21 (6d6) poison damage.

Running the Final Battle: Running just Laveth against the group might be too easy. But if the retriever (Mordenkainen's pg 222) from the pit in P3. joins in, now we have a deadly final battle!

If the Ritual is Completed: Laveth now has the stats of a drow matron mother (Mordenkainen's pg 186)

Concluding the Adventure

If Laveth fails to complete the ritual: Her mother re-takes this portion of the Demonweb, killing her underlinds. Laveth is imprisoned in Lolth's palace.

If Laveth is Killed: her servants flee to other layers of the Abyss. Lolth will be upset that her daughter was slain, and at some point in the future, sends assassins to kill the adventurers.

If the group escapes with a power receptacle, Laveth sends her minions after the group.

Returning Alerian: The elves are forever grateful. Elven bards sing of their heroism.

Final Note From the Adventure:

"Lolth's own vast palace lies at the center of the web, filled with demons, yochlol, and the most powerful drow servants imaginable, rivaling Laveth in power and ambition - for not just anyone can serve in the sanctum of their goddess."

I'm rolling right along with the preparation for my next 5e campaign. I will be running my Tomb/Shiftspice group through a series of old Monte Cook adventures converted to 5th edition.

Here is the plan for my Monte Cook 5e campaign as it stands right now:

• (lvl 12) A Question of Ethics
• (lvl 12) The Harrowing (from Dungeon Magazine #84)
  
• (lvl 14) Mysteries of the Dead Gods (based on an article Monte wrote in Dragon Magazine #240)
• (lvl 14) Demon God's Fane
• (lvl 16) A Paladin in Hell
• (lvl 18) Labyrinth of Madness

I posted the conversion of A Question of Ethics, and I finished The Harrowing. Now we get to another smaller adventure, one that hopefully takes 1-2 sessions to get through.

General Notes

We'll use the damage expression guidelines from the DMG. Levels 11-16:

• Setback: 4d10
• Dangerous: 10d10
• Deadly: 18d10
  

We'll also use the trap guidelines from the DMG:

• Setback: Save DC 10-11 Attack Bonus +3 to +5
• Dangerous: Save DC 12-15 Attack Bonus +6 to +8
• Deadly: Save DC 16-20 Attack Bonus +9 to +12

To scale encounters, I am using kobold fight club.

Note to Self

Before I start running this one, I'll ask each player to send me one memory that is important to their character. This will be used when they reach the god-isle.

The Plan

So here's my basic idea. In my game, the heroes are trying to figure out what is happening to the multiverse, and what these weird magic sigils are.

They learn of a place that can be used to learn deep secrets of the multiverse - the enormous floating corpse of Maanzecorian, dead god of the illithids, which hovers in the Astral Plane.

My group has a special NPC with them - a githyanki who was "grown" by the lich-queen of the githyanki (this NPC is from Lich-Queen's Begotten). The heroes basically stole her away, and the lich-queen had plans for her.

So when the group goes to the Astral Plane, the githyanki will be hunting them. My group flies around in a spelljamming ship, and I think it will be cool to have them be attacked by a githyanki ship.

The adventure outline looks like this:

1. Astral Plane: They fly their ship (the Spicejammer) through a color pool to the Astral Plane.
2. Githyanki Ambush: The group are attacked by a githyanki vessel.
3. Explore Husk: Land on the god-isle of Maanzecorian and explore it.
4. Learn Secrets: Figure out how to get the information they want from Maanzecorian's remains.
5. Defeat Guardian: Defeat the guardian of Maanzecorian - a brainstealer dragon.
   

I've been digging up info from a lot of different sources.

• Dead Gods: This Monte Cook adventure actually features a trip to a dead god (The remains of Orcus! Who was dead at the time).
• A Guide to the Astral Plane: Full of cool ideas (also written by Monte Cook).
  
• Secrets of the Astral Sea: Has details on a few githyanki vessels.
• Garaitha's Anvil: An adventure from the classic 4e Scales of War adventure path, features a githyanki shipyard and a really cool githyanki attack ship. 

Getting to the Astral Plane

How exactly is my group going to get their ship to the Astral Plane? This party mines shiftspice and sells it throughout the planes. Their route goes something like this:

• Material Plane: Akma'ad (a small githzerai fortress).
  
• Material Plane: Dripping Leaves (the elf village from Riddle of the Raven Queen).
• Material Plane: Port Nyanzaru (the jungle city from Tomb of Annihilation).
• The Shadowfell: The Village of Broken Dreams (the shadar kai village from Lich-Queen's Begotten)
• The Astral Plane: Tu'narath (the githyanki city)
• (base) Quasi-Elemental Plane of Spice: Headquarters (homebrew)

Color Pools

How do you get to the Astral Plane? Color pools! Check out chapter 2 of the DMG.

"Gateways leading from the Astral Plane to other planes appear as two-dimensional pools of rippling colors, 1d6 × 10 feet in diameter. Traveling to another plane requires locating a color pool that leads to the desired plane. These gateways to other planes can be identified by color, as shown on the Astral Color Pools table. Finding the right color pool is a matter of chance: locating the correct one takes 1d4 × 10 hours of travel."

Which Planes? There is a chart in the DMG of 20 planes you can access from the Astral Plane. The Shadowfell and the Elemental Planes are not on it. The book doesn't explicitly say that you can't access these planes from the Astral, though.

Looking at the Shadowfell entry later in the DMG, we see that the Shadowfell overlaps the Material Plane, and that usually you get there through a "shadow crossing" - a gloomy place where the barrier between the two planes is thin. "They manifest only in darkness."

The Inner Planes (the elemental planes) "...surround and enfold the Material Plane and its echoes..."

"These planes are all connected, and the border regions between them are sometimes described as distinct planes in their own right."

My homebrewed Quasi-Elemental Plane of Spice would probably be located near the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Ash, right?

Let's look at what Monte Cook's A Guide to the Astral Plane has to say about Color Pools.

"Color pools are doorways to the uppermost layer of any plane that borders the Astral. All of the Outer Planes have color pools leading to them, and all prime-material worlds possess links to the Astral in such a manner as well. While the number of pools is virtually limitless, some places seem to have more of these holes leading to them than others."

We also learn that:

• "Moving into a color pool is like stepping through a sheet of warm molasses."
• Color pools are likely the result of damage to the Astral Plane itself.
• Thoughts seep into the Astral through color pools, might be the cause of psychic winds in the Astral.
  

Types of portals:

• One-way: The majority of color pools are one way (from the Astral to another plane).
• Two-way: Very rare. "The side of the pool that does not open onto the Astral Plane is always invisible."  These have been discovered and catalogued, becoming common trading routes onto and off of the astral. In fact, a few trading towns have been built around these cross over points.
  

Peering in to a Pool: You can concentrate on a color pool and magically see what lies at its destination point. Only visual information - spells cannot be cast through the color pool. 

Peering through a pool is tiring and can only be done for 10 minutes per point of Constitution (after that, I guess in 5e the exhaustion rules kick in). You need a long rest before you can scry again.

My Plan: The group's ship can't shift between planes on its own. It needs to fly through portals. I am planning on saying that there is a portal to the Astral Plane in the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Spice, which allows the heroes to access the other planes from there via color pools.

I feel a little weird making color pools to the Shadowfell and the elemental planes. It is sort of like I'm "cheating" or doing it wrong. But for now, that's what I think I'm going to do.

The Githyanki Vessel

Our plan is in place. The heroes board their ship, the Spicejammer, and fly through a color pool, taking them to the Astral Plane. 

As they get close to the floating dead gods, a githyanki ship spots them. 

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes lists three githyanki ships on page 90. An astral skiff, an astral brigg, and a planar raider. The raider is fitted with ballistas and a catapult. 

I don't want to go full-blown sci-fi, but the planar raider seems a bit dull. So let's dig up Garaitha's Anvil (Dungeon #164), which has a really badass githyanki vessel in it. We're going to have to convert it to 5e, but it's worth it to me. Check out the weapons on this thing:

Force Ballista: +8 vs. AC; ranged 40; 3d10 force damage. It can magically generate one force bolt per round.

Spell Turret: This one is harder to convert, and could potentially be abused.

Spell turrets are designed to allow spellcasters to channel magical attacks against other ships and airborne combatants. A character in a spell turret can use the turret to direct any nonweapon ranged or area arcane or divine attack power.

"The magic of  a spell turret doubles the range of arcane and divine powers, and allows powers to target inanimate objects even if they normally cannot do so."

Githyanki War Galleon

• 30 feet by 115 feet
• Fly 60 feet (overland 75 feet)
• Crew: Does not require crew, the role of crew handled by psionic echoes.
• Ramming prow
• Can hold 50 creatures & 20 tons of cargo
  

Psychic Helm: This room is dominated by a complex device made of steel, crystal, and leather. This githyanki psychic helm keeps the ship aloft and maintains its crew of psychic memories. The helm seems to emit a faint screaming sound when in operation. This object requires regular infusions of souls in order to operate, something that can only be done in the docks of Tu’narath, the githyanki capital city on the Astral Plane. If the soul helm is destroyed, the ship’s psychic crew and ability to fly fades after 5 hours.

Crew of Psychic Echoes: Tasks usually handled by normal sailors are accomplished by the psychic echoes of deceased githyanki sailors. Translucent shimmers with no personality or ability to attack, they vanish if the psychic helm is destroyed.

Crenellations: Unlike most traditional ships, the sides of the githyanki war galleon have crenellations to help protect troops. Anyone on the deck has cover from enemies outside the ship who are not attacking from above.

Ramming Spike: Thirty feet long, this sharpened ramming spike is designed to penetrate enemy ships or huge foes. It is wielded by the ship’s pilot in the bridge.

Bridge: The entire ship is steered and controlled from this location. The room is relatively bare, boasting a runic circle on the floor and a ship’s wheel standing before it. Windows around this room allow the captain to see forward and arrow slits allow spellcasters to target attackers to port or starboard outside the ship with superior cover. The pilot of ship can attempt to make attacks against another ship with the ramming spike. 

Stats

One thing I love about modern D&D is that they give the ship a monster stat block! So simple. My group is actually flying around in a "hell ship" they obtained when they played through To Wake the Leviathan. 

I won't reprint the full stat block, but here's the basics: 

AC 17 HP 172 fly 90 ft swim 60 ft
Multiattack: 1 catapult, 2 ballistas

• Ballista: +8 to hit, rg 500/1500 ft., 13 (2d10+3) bludgeoning dmg
• Catapult: +8 to hit., rg 800/2400 ft., 16 (3d8+3) bludgeoning dmg

I'll probably use the same basic numbers for the githyanki ship, but I'll swap in the force ballistas and the spell turret.

Since the githyanki ship is crewed by intangible psionic echoes, that means that the actual physical githyanki on board can be however many I want for a single encounter:

• 4 githyanki warriors (MM pg 160)
  
• 1 githyanki anarch (Mordenkainen's pg 205)
  

I'll also say that a githyanki knight (MM pg 160) is piloting the ship, but they'll plane shift away if things go bad and the vessel is being overtaken/destroyed. 

The anarch will start off by using the spell turret, launching off fireball spells at the Spicejammer. Once the ships get close, the 4 githyanki warriors will fly (everyone can fly in the Astral Plane) and board the group's ship. Maybe the anarch will go invisible, slip onto the heroes' ship and try to kill the pilot (Linnet, the party's wizard). The anarch has good spells and a devastating melee attack: +7/+7, 8 bludgeoning + 18 psychic!

Once the githyanki threat is dealt with one way or the other, the heroes can fly to the remains of the dead god Maanzecorian. 

Who is Maanzecorian?

The heroes have fought off the githyanki and fly to the dead gods, massive floating islands - the remains of gods who died. Also known as "husks" or "god-isles."

I went through old products and dug up all the information I could find on Maanzecorian.

The Great Modron March

In this adventure, Orcus runs around killing gods with a power called "The Last Word." One such deity is Maanzecorian. In this adventure, the heroes happen to be near a temple of Maanzecorian and witness the fallout of the death of a god. We learn:

• Maanzecorian was the mind flayer god of knowledge and secrets.
• Its rival was the other mind flayer deity, Ilsensine.
• Tenebrous (aka Orcus) attacked Maanzecorian on the plane of Gehenna.
• Wisps of Maanzecorian's essence scatter from its dying form. Orcus stood over its corpse and was bathed in eons of collected secrets and bits of lore.
• Maanzecorian's entire Gehennan realm boiled away upon the deity's death.
• Ilsensine now becomes the unquestioned supreme deity of the mind flayers.

Monster Mythology

Maanzecorian actually has an entry in this 2e book! We learn:

• Maanzecorian is a vain philosopher-god, has vast library of arcane works in palace.
• Is a tall illithid, with purple/green skin and yellowed tusks.
• Has a silver crown that levitates above its head - gem is a gem of brightness.
• Symbol: Silver crown set with a red gem.
• Can call down a "weird" spell on a group of creatures.
• Priests of Maanzecorian pursue knowledge, explore new territory, exploit knowledge.

Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark

This book has a quick mention: The cenotaph of Maanzecorian was once a small house of worship for the cult of the "Philosoflayer."

Volo's Guide to Monsters

Get a load of this. Maanzecorian is in 5e! In Volo's Guide, it is explained that illithid deities are not really gods, but manifestations of ideal psionic and philosophical states that mind flayers revere. 

Maanzecorian:

• Embodies a complete comprehension of knowledge.
• "It is a state wherein memories, thoughts, and aptitudes are dredged up from one’s mind not one at a time as needed, but are all laid bare and brought to the fore at once."
• The perfect memories exhibited by aboleths have long fascinated mind flayers
  

For my campaign, I'm going to say that Maanzecorian was a physical being. 

Real quick, let's look at the aboleth entry in the Monster Manual:

Eternal Memories: Aboleths have flawless memories. Aboleths’ minds are treasure troves of ancient lore, recalling moments from prehistory with perfect clarity. They plot patiently and intricately across eons. 

So maybe in this adventure, in order for the group to learn secrets from the dead god, they need to re-order their minds and attempt to achieve the "perfect" state of mind known as Maanzecorian.

Dragon Magazine #240 - Mysteries of the Dead Gods

Now we need to detail the god-isle, using material from Monte's article. 

The Goal: My group is coming here to find out what the lifebane is, and how the magic sigils factor into it (all stuff that comes from Labyrinth of Madness, which the group will play through once they hit around 18th level).

Here's the main thing I need to figure out: How do I turn this into multiple encounters? The group will probably fly right for the giant crown with the gem on it (on the head of Maanzecorian), learn what they need, and then leave. 

How do I get them to explore the whole isle without making it feel cheap? I don't want to do a "you must obtain these 5 keys to unlock what you need to know" scenario. 

After a lot of thought and reflection, looking out the window as rain pours down, listening to the call of crows, hearing the faint sounds of a sultry saxophone, I think I've got it. 

Touching the Crown: The heroes arrive. They land on/near the head. They touch the pulsing red gem on the crown. If you have a perfectly-ordered mind, if you have "achieved" Maanzecorian, you can commune with the gem and learn what you want to know. If not, you are hit with a mind blast: 

• DC 17 Intelligence saving throw or take 31 (4d12 + 5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  

Obviously, the heroes don't have a perfectly-ordered mind. The character who touched the red gem will have a vague understanding - only those who can achieve a perfect mind state can commune with it. 

They key to achieving this state lies here on the dead god - though allowing Maanzecorian into your mind could change you profoundly. 

One effect from getting hit with the mind blast is that the characters will have a dull sense of what to do next - the God Husk imparts this knowledge to those strong enough to survive its attack. The group will need to do the following things in order:

1. See Maanzecorian.
2. Listen to the Bonethriven.
3. Smell the Black Lily.
4. Devour the Godflesh.
   
5. Touch the Crown once more.
   

Exploring the God-Isle: From there, the heroes can explore the island. At least one character will have to consume the energies of the isle, which will re-order their minds, giving them a perfect memory.

Now we can populate the god-isle with my favorite things from Monte's article, making each an encounter of one kind or another. We'll combine it with information from Monte's section on dead gods from A Guide to the Astral Plane.

A Guide to the Astral Plane - Forgotten Husks: Dead Gods

"The corpse of a god is not flesh. Flesh is inconsequential to divinity. The corpse of a god is memories, wars, heroes, regrets, sacrifices, prayers - the stuff of significance."

God-Isles:

• 1d100 x 50 feet long, 1/4th wide
• Unique conditions
• 40% have gravity.

I'll say Maanzecorian is 3,000 feet long, 750 feet wide. Has gravity, though I think that it would be cool for the group to be able to walk around to the "underside/back."

Now I'll go through the article in Dragon, grab the ideas that I like best, and make mini-encounters out of them. I think I'll tie each encounter to one of the senses - See, hear, taste, touch, and smell:

Memory Aura: As the heroes walk on the rocky god isles, a memory aura washes over them - they experience a memory from Maanzecorian's life. I want them to see the gith enslaved, tending to the fields of husks (as described in my guide to the githzerai). I might also want the group to experience Maanzecorian being slain by The Last Word. 

I also like the idea of the group experience each other's memories. Maybe before the session, I'll ask the players each to write down one memory they have - maybe a secret, or something important to them. Then, when they hit the memory aura, each character experiences a memory a random ally. 

Ultimately, I'll have it where the group starts taking psychic damage and will need to will themselves out of the aura, DC 15 CON save each round, something like that.

Mysterious Mineral: This crystal bonethriven, a massive assembly tube with 12 stops plays on its own. The "music" is horribly intense and is imbued with psionic energy. It plays a song of suggestion. As you get close to it, your mind becomes jumbled. Basically, this thing will "Reset" your mind, leaving you under the effects of a confusion spell until you get to the next encounter.

Mysterious Plant: In a field of black grass and ebony trees, there are large, lily-like plants with tendrils that hover and sway. A character who mind has been "reset" must come here, sit down and inhale. The viny tendrils will shoot up into the nose and touch the brain, "re-wiring it."

The character's mind is now becoming able to achieve Maanzecorian. I dug up some info on Illithid psychology from the Illithiad. The character will now struggle with the following thoughts:

• The Essential Fiction: "Life with the elder brain represents the highest form of being."
• Dominion is Life: Domination of others is key to success. Having a thrall is very important to a mind flayer.
• Darken the Light: Sunlight causes discomfort - destroying all suns is an overarching goal.
• Emotions: They feel primarily frustration, and will continue to do so until they achieve domination and mastery. "Discontent subtly colors every other emotion, thought, and action."
• Concept of Time: Only the present matters. The past is a fluctuating medium. Only an elder brain records historical events. The future is only an as-yet-unrealized portion of the present.

I don't want the character to turn evil, I just want to emphasize that what they are going through will have profound effects. They are still the same person, but they are now struggling inside with all of these weird new personality quirks and assumptions.

Godquake: The dead god stirs! At this point, there is a "godquake." The husk's natural defenses are starting to kick in, and it is forming a guardian from its godflesh. The godquake is essentially an ongoing earthquake spell.

From a rift rises the guardian - a brainstealer dragon. Maybe more than one (this group has a tendency to polymorph their enemies... I don't want this encounter to be an anti-climax). This monster is from Dragon Magazine #337. The group is 12th level, so we'll re-skin an appropriate monster - an adult green dragon. It's CR 15, which is a "hard" encounter for four 12th level heroes. 

It has tiny pale purple scales, wings are fleshy layers of skin, four long tentacles. Eyes are two white lidless orbs. "Mind flayer breeding programs occasionally create terrors even elder brains cannot control."

Adult Brainstealer Dragon
Huge dragon, Lawful Evil

AC 19 HP 207 (18d12+90) Spd 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR 23 (+6) DEX 12 (+1) CON 21 (+5) INT 18 (+4) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 17 (+3)

• Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +10, Wis +7, Cha +8
• Skills Deception +8, Insight +7, Perception +12, Persuasion +8, Stealth +6
• Damage Immunities Acid
• Senses Blindsight 60 ft., Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22
• Languages Deep Speech, Undercommon, telepathy 120 ft.
  

Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The dragon's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 18). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:

• At will: detect thoughts, levitate
• 1/day each: dominate monster, plane shift (self only)

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Actions

Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its tentacles and two with its claws.

Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 18) and must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned until this grapple ends.

Extract Brain. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one incapacitated humanoid grappled by the mind flayer. Hit: The target takes 55 (10d10) piercing damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the mind flayer kills the target by extracting and devouring its brain.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. 

Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). The dragon magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or take 56 (16d6) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Legendary Actions
The Adult Brainstealer Dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Adult Brainstealer Dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of their turn.

• Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
• Tentacles Attack. The dragon makes a tentacles attack.
• Extract Brain (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon makes an extract brain attack.
  

Final Task: Eat some of the brainstealer dragon's brain. The character is essentially consuming godflesh. Doing this allows them to achieve the full state of Maanzecorian.

Using the Crown: Now the characters can return to the crown. Anyone who has acieved the state of Maanzecorian can touch the crown and commune with it. The character can ask 3 questions, to be answered psychically by whatever remains of the mind flayer god.

Here, the group can learn things relevant to the campaign:

What is the Lifebane? Vast dark matter, spreading throughout the planes. A malevolent, semi-sentient entity of chaos and evil, that will slowly corrupt the entire multiverse - ultimately giving demons free reign and utter rulership.

What are the Sigils? The sigils are the multiverse's way of protecting against the lifebane. Acquiring the 20 sigils gives a path to the source of the lifebane and ways to defeat it.

The one thing they can't learn is where the source of the lifebane is. This information is blocked by the lifebane itself.

I might have the god husk point out that right now, the lifebane is corrupting the Graven Ones - the awesome NPCs from the next Monte Cook adventure in this "path" - Demon God's Fane.

by Brian Valeza

I'm gearing up to start running a campaign again, so as I prepare, I'm thinking about trying to get better at certain things. I've always had a really hard time with incorporating character backgrounds into a campaign. I have two main problems:

1. Merging the player's ideas into my campaign's story while not ruining either.
2. Remembering the character's background!

Seriously. I forget their background. It's bad. I'm so consumed with keeping my own game straight that I can't handle the player's ideas, even though, in theory, the player's ideas should at least be just as important as mine.

One thing that has helped me remember backgrounds is to make a little campaign handbook where I devote a page to each hero, detailing their story and NPCs that are important to them in some way.

In 5e D&D, the Player's Handbook discusses 4 things that characters have to help them flesh out their character's personality: Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws.

Recurring Issue: I have definitely noticed one problem with this system. Characters often change quite a bit in the first few sessions, as the player adjusts to fit the tone of the campaign. A lot of times, level 4 characters barely resemble what's written on the traits section of their character sheet.

Here's a quick look at each, with quotes from the PH:

Personality Traits: "Give your character two personality traits. Personality traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character. Your personality traits should tell you something interesting and fun about your character. They should be self-descriptions that are specific about what makes your character stand out. “I’m smart” is not a good trait, because it describes a lot of characters. “I’ve read every book in Candlekeep” tells you something specific about your character’s interests and disposition."

Ideals: "Describe one ideal that drives your character. Your ideals are the things that you believe in most strongly, the fundamental moral and ethical principles that compel you to act as you do. Ideals encompass everything from your life goals to your core belief system."

Bonds: "Create one bond for your character. Bonds represent a character’s connections to people, places, and events in the world. They tie you to things from your background. They might inspire you to heights of heroism, or lead you to act against your own best interests if they are threatened. They can work very much like ideals, driving a character’s motivations and goals."

Flaws: "Finally, choose a flaw for your character. Your character’s flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness — in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What’s the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified of? What are your vices?"

Touchstones

Here is what the group chose as their touchstones:

• Mistletoe: His wand of wonder, and the broken shards of the dancing sword that shattered in the Tomb of Annihilation.
• Asana: Her yoga mat, her karach, Stingy (her pet scorpion)... and Ramrod.
• Linnet: Her divination cards (keep the party safe through good luck and bad luck).
• Ramrod: His maul, a flavor packet... and Asana.

Let's say that Mistletoe has connected his wand of wonder to his ideal, which is: "Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)"

So what happens if he disrespects someone? Does his wand malfunction? Do I say that the DM gets to choose which effect goes off the next time he uses it? Conversely, if he lives up to his ideal, does that mean he gets to choose the next wand of wonder effect? Or maybe he rolls twice and picks the one he wants?

If he shatters his ideal, does the wand break? If he lives up to his ideal on a massive scale, does a wild magic zone spring up in an aura around him?

Also, his shattered sword. Do the pieces dance if he lives up to his ideal? Does it re-form for a time?

I allowed the group to pick living beings as touchstones, even though the adventure says it should be objects. I just thought it would be fun. In this campaign, Ramrod and Asana are a couple. Asana has been selected as a touchstone.

She might be linked to his Bond: "My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me."

So what happens when Ramrod acts against his bond? He literally said in one session that Asana is his tribe now. What could happen to her? She's an air genasi, so maybe turbulent winds form around her. Conversely, what if he lives up to his bond in a big way? Does she gain some kind of power or energy? Temporary hit points?

I haven't got all of this figured out, yet. But I think I can use touchstones to help make the game feel more involved. I am thinking that, before each session, I'll pick one character and "test" them. I'll put them in a situation where they need to make a choice based on their flaw, or bond, etc. I'll write out consequences for each.

Over time, the players will feel like they really get to know their allies better, and I think they'll care more. That should, in theory, lead to a deeper and better game.

Links

ENWorld: List of all Traits/Ideals/Bonds/Flaws

Random Personality Generator for your Character

by Emi Tanji

New Dragon+! Is there free stuff in here? Methinks that there is.

This issue is good, very "meat and potatoes." We get free maps from Rime and Storm King, an epic walkthrough map of Rime, and a really good article on the Mighty Servant of Leuk-o, complete with .pdfs of Leuk-o stuff from older editions.

"Pro" Games

A quick unrelated note before we start.

I am going to write a review of startplaying.games, a site where you can get paid/pay to play D&D. So I'll be "professionally" running at least one session of 5e via zoom, which I will write about here on this blog. I'll be running a 1st level DMs Guild adventure.

So hey, if you want to play D&D with me, check it out. 5 players max!

Holiday Gift Guide 2020

We go through the many cool/weird D&D products out there that you can buy. I do like the cover of the "premium" Player's Handbook:

Gold foil! The set comes with a fancy DM screen and everything. 

There's shirts. I really like this one:

I think I've mentioned before that when I was a kid, I didn't understand the differences between basic D&D and Advanced D&D. I just squashed them all together. I remember my older brother telling me that we're playing it "wrong." 

I do remember getting the Immortal set and being baffled by the "Immortal" rules.

So yeah, I really like these shirts, and would love to get one for each basic box. But... $42! For one shirt! We're in a pandemic here, people. I should have invested in bitcoin. Or dogecoin, at least.

Honestly I'd like so 2nd edition apparel. I know 2nd edition wasn't as popular as the others, but 2e is what I played a ton of. I'd particularly like some Planescape shirts. I do have one Lady of Pain shirt, but I think it's a bootleg.

There are more inexpensive shirts for 5e on amazon. They have shirts for different alignments. I declare myself to be LAWFUL GOOD:

Then of course, we have one of my favorite things ever. The d20 changing color light! I will buy this soon and it will be with me forever.

The 2e Leuk-o Explosion Chart

Best of the DMs Guild

They feature a bunch of Curse of Strahd-related products. They even included my Guide to Curse of Strahd! Looking at some of the other products, I feel like people don't charge enough money for their stuff. Hand-drawn maps of Barovia! Worth more than $1!!

Maps of the Month

Real good ones this month, most of them are from Rime of the Frostmaiden. We get players versions and DM versions of:

• Cackling Chasm 
• Karkolohk
• The Black Cabin
  

We also get maps from Storm King (the Great Worm Cavern), Mythic Odysseys of Theros, and a pile from an old 4e adventure.

Unearthed Arcana

Playtest stuff!

Monk: Way of the Ascendant Dragon: These monks alter their ki to "resonate with draconic might."

One possible origin: "After a dream that features a five-handed dragonborn you awoke with altered ki, reflecting the breaths of dragons."

A dragonborn with 5 hands?? Not arms, just hands? What an odd NPC. I guess they're an agent of Tiamat?

These monks can breathe dragon breath weapons, grow spectral wings, all sorts of good stuff. This is really cool.

Ranger: Drakewarden: Rangers who bond with a "minor dragon."

I wonder if Wizards of the Coast will be coming out with a 5e Draconomicon soon? This stuff is all dragon-centric. Draconomicons are cool, I'm always up for more details on Tiamat, bahamut, and all the weird dragon types out there. I'd love a section of harvesting dragon parts to use in the making of potions and magic items. I'd also love to read about what happens if you eat dragon meat. I bet Ed Greenwood has made up a whole thing about that, that guy is amazing.

My favorite origin: "You drank a few drops of dragon blood, forever infusing your nature magic with draconic power."

At 3rd level you can summon your drake companion. It's got a base stat block. You choose the damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison.

It is small, so you can't ride it. It grows wings when you hit 7th level. It becomes large when you hit 15th level.

Comic: Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden

These Jason Thompson walkthrough maps are the best. Some of them have helped me so much when it comes to understanding an adventure.

Good stuff! Loved the Leuk-o info.

You can pre-order Candlekeep Mysteries right here.

You can pre-order the D&D Beyond version here.

Quick Summary

Here's a quick rundown of what's in this book:

• 17 adventures, all one-shots.
• Levels 1-16.
• Poster Map of Candlekeep.
• Full write-up of Candlekeep.
• New monsters and magic items.
  

Official Information

Let's check out what we know so far. Here's the text from the press email:

While there’s a lot to love about long D&D campaigns full of twists, drama and character development, sometimes Dungeon Masters and players are looking for quick one-shots, a light-hearted palate-cleanser, or … a little mystery.

Introducing Candlekeep Mysteries, an anthology of seventeen mystery-themed adventures each centered around a single book found in the iconic library fortress. All of these adventures--many written by new authors—are intended to be played as one-shots in-person or online or simply dropped into any existing campaign. Candlekeep Mysteries is perfect for Dungeon Masters who are looking to inject new characters, story hooks, magic items, and monsters into their game without tons of prep.

Available everywhere on March 16 with a cover by Clint Cearley, and in game stores with an alternate cover by Simen Meyer, Candlekeep Mysteries presents each adventure as a tome on its infinite shelves, plus background information about the library fortress that’s enchanted fans of the Forgotten Realms for decades.

“I got my start in the gaming industry by writing short D&D adventures,” said Chris Perkins, Principal Story Designer for Dungeons & Dragons. “I'm grateful to be able to work on a product that gives other authors the same opportunity. The adventures in this anthology reflect the incredible creativity of the D&D community."

Candlekeep Mysteries features adventures written by authors, including:

    Graeme Barber (@POCGamer)
    Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (@kellylynnedang)
    Alison Huang (@Drazillion)
    Mark Hulmes (@sherlock_hulmes)
    Jennifer Kretchmer (@dreamwisp)
    Daniel Kwan (@danielhkwan)
    Adam Lee (@adamofadventure)
    Ari Levitch (@AriLevitch)
    Sarah Madsen (@UnfetteredMuse)
    Christopher Perkins (@ChrisPerkinsDnD)
    Michael Polkinghorn (@MiketheGoalie)
    Taymoor Rehman (@DarkestCrows)
    Derek Ruiz (@ElvenTower)
    Kienna Shaw (@kiennas)
    Brandes Stoddard (@BrandesStoddard)
    Amy Vorpahl (@vorpahlsword)
    Toni Winslow-Brill (@vorgryth)

Here's what we learn from the Amazon listing:

Candlekeep attracts scholars like a flame attracts moths. Historians, sages, and others who crave knowledge flock to this library fortress to peruse its vast collection of books, scribbled into which are the answers to the mysteries that bedevil them. Many of these books contain their own mysteries ̶—each one a doorway to adventure. Dare you cross that threshold?

·  17 mystery-themed D&D adventures, each tied to a book discovered in the famed library fortress of Candlekeep
·  Easy to run as stand-alone mini adventures or to drop into your home campaign
·  Adventures span play from levels 1 to 16
·  Includes a full poster map of Candlekeep, plus detailed descriptions of the various locations, characters, and creatures that reside within it
·  Introduces a variety of Dungeons & Dragons monsters, items, and non-player characters (NPCs)

Candlekeep Mysteries is a collection of seventeen short, stand-alone D&D adventures designed for characters of levels 1–16. Each adventure begins with the discovery of a book, and each book is the key to a door behind which danger and glory await. These adventures can be run as one-shot games, plugged into an existing Forgotten Realms campaign, or adapted for other campaign settings. This book also includes a poster map of the library fortress and detailed descriptions of Candlekeep and its inhabitants.

Thoughts & Further Details

I am only passingly familiar with Candlekeep. Most of what I know about it comes from Baldur's Gate, which opens in Candlekeep. It is an awesome location.

5e Candlekeep: Candlekeep also recently appeared in Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus. The heroes go there very briefly in the adventure. At the time, I felt like they didn't detail the location enough, but now we see why! It's getting its own book.

We get a good look at the 5e version of Candlekeep (pg 45 of Descent)

"Candlekeep is a fortress perched on a spur of rock overlooking the Sea of Swords. It is reached by a single road, the Way of the Lion, which branches west off the Coast Way."

"Candlekeep is always open to visitors and boasts one of the finest libraries in Faerun. The monks of Candlekeep also preserve the predictions of Alaundo the Seer, a singular sage whose prophecies have proved correct over long years. Upon the seer's death, Candlekeep became a haven for both the veneration of his prophecies and the accumulation of all knowledge. If there's a secret to be learned, the clues to finding it can probably be found in Candlekeep."

Spelljammer Stuff: I am a big Spelljammer guy, so I was excited to read this tweet:

One more thing: @vorpahlsword mentioned during the press event for this book that her adventure has some Spelljammer themes/references. So be prepared for some heavy SPELLJAMMER CONFIRMED cries across the internet in March.

— Christian Hoffer (@CHofferCBus) January 12, 2021

I think there is a spelljammer ship called Quentin's Libram? Or Libraria? Here it is.

The ship is powered by devouring spellbooks, so yeah that might be cool.

"Each adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries is named after the book at the center of the adventure. During a press event, Dungeons & Dragons revealed details about three of the adventures that will appear in Candlekeep Adventures."

Jennifer Kretchmer's "The Canopic Being": Focuses on several puzzling organ transplants and takes the players to Tashluta, a city on the Chult Peninsula that hasn't appeared in a 5E adventure. 

D&D Beyond provides further details:

• Tashluta is built into the caldera of a great volcano (like Cauldron from the Shackled City path!)
• "As an ambulatory wheelchair user, Kretchmer says that is was important to her that her dungeon was a place that she could explore. As such, it’s filled with fantasy elevators (whether they functioned by pulley or by magic, she didn’t say), and ledges are accessible by ramps rather than by stairs."
  

Taymoor Rehman's "Zikran Zephyrian Tome": Focuses on djinni trapped inside a book that offers a wish spell to the adventurers who can release him. 

We learn a bit more about this adventure in a D&D Beyond article:

• The djinni will reward the group with a wish - or the djinni's assistance in further adventures.
  The adventure is 10-12 pages long, meant to be completed in a single session.
  

Amy Vorphal's "Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion": Sends players to a tower in Candlekeep itself to stop a threat to the iconic library. Vorphal teased a new type of monster - the mechanical Skitterwidgets - for her adventure and hinted at ties to the iconic Spelljammer campaign setting.

I'll update this post as we learn more. I imagine that Dragon+ will have a bunch of new information on this product prior to its release.

I've been posting conversions of old Monte Cook adventures here a few weeks now, and I've been thinking about the overall story. A reader emailed me the other day and helped me piece the whole thing together.

The overarching story comes from Labyrinth of Madness, an epic 2e adventure for characters level 17-20. I've always seen it as sort of the "ultimate D&D adventure." I ran it once 20 years ago, and my players bailed out after experiencing 1 room. I've been waiting to run it again ever since.

Here is the plan for my Monte Cook 5e "Lifebane" campaign as it stands right now:

• (lvl 12) A Question of Ethics (5e conversion here)
  
• (lvl 12) The Harrowing (5e conversion here)
  
• (lvl 14) Mysteries of the Dead Gods (5e conversion here)
• (lvl 14) Demon God's Fane (5e conversion is almost ready to be posted)
• (lvl 16) Limbo adventure based in part on the Great Modron March - The lifebane's chaos boost is destroying a githzerai city.
  
• (lvl 16) A Paladin in Hell
• (lvl 18) Tales of the Infinite Staircase - the lifebane is destroying the Staircase.
  
• (lvl 18) Labyrinth of Madness

The Lifebane

The overall threat of this campaign is the lifebane - a sentient, invisible force of chaotic evil. I'm going to run it sort of like an evil version of The Force from Star Wars. It's everywhere. Invisible. Slowly corrupting all of reality toward chaos and evil. 

This means that, throughout the campaign, the lifebane effects will grow stronger and stronger. The lifebane is detailed in the Labyrinth of Madness:

• Madness: People slowly become more cruel/ruthless/devious.
• Corruption: Bodies slowly change, gaining scales/snake tails/snake heads.
• Divination Spells: 25% of being altered, manipulated by the lifebane.
• Summoning Spells: 75% chance a creature summoned is controlled by the lifebane.
• Healing Spells: 50% chance that flesh healed by magic becomes scaly and snakelike.
• Boosted Spells: Feeblemind, Symbol: Insanity, and Tasha's hideous laughter. (boosted = disadvantage on saving throws?)
  

I'll slowly roll these effects out. I'll probably implement the boosted spells effect right away, and I really like the "magical healing gives you scaly skin" idea. The divination also seems fun flavor. 

The Umbral Taint: I plan on folding the umbral taint, a similar concept from Monte's Demon God's Fane adventure, into the lifebane as well. The umbral taint basically creates demon insects that attach to your back and turn you chaotic evil, forcing you to do horrid things.

The Sigils

In Labyrinth of Madness, the group needs to acquire 20 sigils. Once they find a sigil, they touch it, and it becomes a glowing tattoo on their body. The heroes will eventually have a "a sleeve" of ten tattoos on each arm. 

In the adventure, the sigils are necessary to get through the dungeon. Certain objects and places don't exist to people who don't have the sigils.

For my campaign, I'm having it where the entire multiverse is infected by the lifebane, and the multiverse's "immune system" creates the sigils as a way to give certain people an advantage to fight back and avoid being corrupted.

In my campaign, the multiverse operates by the three Great Truths from the Planescape setting:

Unity of Rings: The Unity of Rings principle also means that what goes around comes around, that good deeds will be returned with other good deeds.

Rule of Three: This is based on something that seems to be a phenomenon in the Multiverse, that everything comes in threes: there are three cosmic truths (Center of All, Unity of Rings, and Rule of Threes).

Center of All: There is a center of everything—or, rather, wherever a person happens to be is the center of the multiverse. 

In my campaign, there are characters that actually are the embodiment of these laws:

• Unity of Rings: A baby of Theran (from my Planescape campaign) and Blibdoolpoolp.
  
• Center of All: Lilia from my Dungeon Academy campaign. Wherever she stands is literally the center of the multiverse.
• Rule of Three: Bidam the dragonborn from my old Planescape campaign.
  

I don't have it all worked out yet, but basically these three are generating the Sigils. They can sense the lifebane and the threat to the Multiverse. The lifebane obviously will want to incapacitate them so it can spread unchecked.

Powers of the Sigils

by Dan Frazier

• They must be touched to activate.
• They appear like permanent tattoos on your arms - 10 on the left, 10 on the right
• In the adventure, the sigils must be found in order. If you touch one out of order, it does not appear on your arm.
• Without the proper sigils, certain objects don't even exist. For my game, I'm saying that the sigils let the characters see and use things that will help them fight the lifebane.
  

The Room of 20 Doors: The Sigils also come up in an epic room in Labyrinth of Madness on pg 60 - The Room of 20 Doors. In this area, there are 20 doors, each of which has one of the sigils on it! Every single one of these doors leads to nothing but a wall! Except that Door #4 has a secret panel with a latch that can be used to activate a ladder that goes up and out through a field of magical darkness. Door #15 causes the whole room to rise up, bringing the group to the next area.

I am planning on using this room as a sort of guide as to what each sigil might do. I am thinking that, in my campaign, when a character acquires a sigil, it allows them to use a spell-like ability one time. Then again.. that might get out of hand really quick.

Each sigil has a corresponding number. Here is a list of the sigils, their effects in the Room of 20 Doors, and my ideas on the possible spell-like ability they grant to a character:

1. Glyph of warding (lightning)
2. Silence
3. Glyph of warding (fire)
4. Darkness
5. Curse: Magic items don't work while you touch them!
6. Mummy rot!
7. Polymorph into a snake.
8. Glyph of Warding (cold)
9. Summons 4 harmless snakes
10. Teleports you into a cage in the ridiculously deadly beholder room.
11. Symbol of Death!
12. Blindness
13. Magic arrows shoot at you
14. Paralyzed for d4 hours.
15. Entire room raises 20 feet and is submerged into darkness.
16. Acid Spray
17. Another Symbol of death!
18. Disintegrate!
19. Drains the magic from one magic item on your person.
20. Symbol of Death again.
    

Sigil Effects: I am struggling over whether I should give the sigils special effects that can aid the heroes. I definitely want to say that heroes with sigils are protected against the lifebane. They won't be corrupted, they don't turn scaly, etc.

But I really love the idea of have the sigils give the characters some sort of boon that mirrors the detrimental effects in the Room of 20 Doors. The problem there is that the group will probably become overpowered.

Maybe I should have the sigils offer some sort of small boon, such as giving themselves advantage one time (even that seems like way too much).

I prefer the idea of something more flavorful. Maybe they can use the sigils to reverse lifebane effects? Each sigil grants a one-time ability to remove scales, or to turn a corrupted person back to their normal self, or to negate the disadvantage on a Tasha's saving throw?

The Other Adventurers

by Dan Frazier

One of my favorite things to do in D&D is to create a band of rival NPC adventurers. This is actually baked in to the Labyrinth - a band of rival adventurers are the ones who accidentally released the lifebane in the first place!

They are now in the Labyrinth, all partly transformed into yuan-ti, corrupted by the lifebane.

I dug through the book and listed them all. Each ends up as a yuan-ti half-breed in the labyrinth.
Some of them have "serpent rings" (rings that look like a snake eating its own tail) which gives them special access to the labyrinth.

• (pgs 29-30) Daergul: 8th lvl fighter - has a dysfunctional relationship with Yquis
• (pgs 29-30) Yquis: 10th lvl mage - has a staff of striking and dust of appearance - has a dysfunctional relationship with Daergul
• (pg 40) Tarrana: 9th lvl fighter - has a girdle of giant strength - meditates
• (pg 40) Erthane: lvl 9 cleric - worships Aertthun the titan/empyrean, has a gold mace
• (pg 53) Renn: 10th lvl rogue - has 5 beads of force - loves exercise
• (pg 53) Llanoir: 7th lvl mage - has a wand of illusion - a good artist
  

They summoned a "titan" aka a 5e empyrean, who is now deep in the labyrinth doing evil stuff.

I am thinking that the group actually meets these scallywags prior to their entry into the Labyrinth. I like the idea that they are the new heroes of Port Nyanzaru, who have won some dinosaur races, just like this group had done in my Tomb of Annihilation campaign.

What's Next? I should have the conversion of Demon God's Fane up soon. I have noticed that Monte Cook has a few other favorite monsters: Bodaks and Succubi. I am thinking of taking every succubus from each adventure and making them some sort of group.

The group has just learned about the lifebane, an intangible, sentient force of chaos and evil spewing from somewhere (the labyrinth of madness, they'll learn). 

The Umbral Taint: This adventure has a concept very similar to the lifebane. It's called the umbral taint, and it is coming from a dungeon linked to a forgotten demon lord named Ochremeshk. This dungeon is built inside a massive statue that is submerged in a lake. 

For my campaign, I'm going to basically combine the lifebane and the umbral taint. I'll say that the lifebane spewing forth from the labyrinth has weakened the demon god's fane enough so that the umbral taint seeped out into the surrounding area.

The map for this place is a bit different than most. Because it's built vertically, there's not a lot of connecting hallways. It's a bit like Baba Yaga's hut in that every room is basically it's own thing. I feel like I might get confused remembering what stairwell connects to what room.

Golden Lake: This town is in a remote area. The citizens do a lot of fishing in the actual lake. They are unaware that the Demon God's Fane is submerged in the lake.

History

• Long ago, this area was home to a cult of Ochremeshk.
• This region was once known as the Vale of Fears, a place where the sun ceased to shine.
• The cult was once led by a lich named Sussint-ir. She was overthrown by a half-demon named Lytaros Fel. A balor named Charmachnar ruled the cult somewhere in there, too.
  
• Enchelious: A cleric of good, led a small army against the cult. Three miracles helped him overcome the cult. His goddess, Umbra, brought down rain and filled the vale of fears. 
• The cult has been magically trapped inside the fane ever since. But now the magic is weakening.
  

Current Events

• Drought: A drought has lowered the lake and revealed the top of the statue. 
• The umbral taint, a demonic essence similar to a virus, has seeped out.
• The taint corrupts people, turning them evil.
• To those who can see it, the taint looks like a large demonic insect attached to the upper back of the corrupted.
• Inside the fane, Lytaros Fel wants to use a ritual to go back in time and kill Enchelious. 

Adventure Summary

• The heroes investigate murders in Golden Lake (the killer has been corrupted by the Umbral Taint).
• The Graven Ones, a band of powerful heroes, are fighting one another due to the corruption of the umbral taint.
• By saving the Graven Ones, the heroes can learn about the history and realize that they need to go into the fane to eliminate the umbral taint.
• Inside the fane, the heroes will need to access the fane's heart. They'll have to step into three magic pentagrams and partake in sacraments in order to access the fane's heart.
  
• The heroes will probably go back in time to prevent the assassination attempt on the life of Enchelious.

Darkness Comes to Golden Lake

The Umbral Taint: Spreads like a contagious disease through prolonged contact.

• The host falls under its chaotic evil control. 
• It gives the victim spell powers.
• If you have true sight, you can see the taint - An insectoid shadow creature attached to the victim's upper back.
• Immune: Those who are immune to disease can't be affected by the umbral taint.
• Cure: A banishment spell rids a creature of the umbral taint.  

The Village of Golden Lake

Population: 423 Ruler: Reeve Dallen Styne. 

• The Lake: 1 mile wide, 6 miles long. 300-400 feet deep.
  
• Taggert's Taphouse: Taggert is a dwarf who secretly fears water. Decor: fishnets, harpoons, oars.
• Boarding House: 1 sp per night. Run by Nesther Mench, who likes to hear gossip. Food: fish, venison, turkey, spiced tea.
• The Pier: Where boats are moored. Shackhouses, nets.
• Fish Oil House: Where 12 people extract fish oil and put it into small kegs.
• Kraun's Store: General Storn. Kraun is a tall, thin man who squints.
• Red's Smithy: Red Ginter is the blacksmith. Has two sons. He's got a big bushy beard.
• Tannery: Here, Lasel Philis sells leather goods. She is a young woman with white hair.
• Church: One room chapel. Run by Greddan Silvos, a 3rd level cleric. He's an emotional fellow.

Investigation

This adventure starts out with a search for a killer. I'm going to skip all this stuff. 

My Campaign: My group will have met the Graven Ones back in the first adventure (A Question of Ethics). The Graven Ones have an interest in buying some shiftspice. The heroes land their ship in the lake, and will need to get some carts to bring their crates to the home of the Graven Ones.

Graven Ones

A group of 12 spellcasters who live in a place called Sigil Hearth, which is 6 miles from Golden Lake. It is a dark stone keep.

They sell potions, scrolls, and magic tattoos!

Erepoth: Their leader. Elderly half-elf in gray robes. Runes cover his flesh.

When the heroes arrive, Tyrestina is attacking her allies. She's been corrupted by the umbral taint. Her pet grey render (a Monte Cook favorite) is fighting at her side. This encounter is "hard" for lvl 14 characters 0- they're facing a CR 12 and a CR 9.

Gray Render: Mordenkainen's pg 209 Let's say that the Graven Ones have given him a Barrier Tattoo (Tasha's pg 122) which gives it an AC of 18.

Tyrestina: Evoker, Volo's pg 214 (She's got stoneskin going, so she has resistance to non-magic attacks, and she can sculpt spells around her gray render buddy) She also has a Lifewell Tattoo (Tasha's pg 129) Which means she has resistance to necrotic and when she is reduced to 0 HP, she drops to 1 HP instead.

The heroes will have met and possibly befriended Tyrestina in an adventure previous to this one. They can cure her with a banishment spell.

Once the conflict is dealt with, the Graven Ones can share some information with the group, detailing the origin of the fane. They'll ask the heroes to go in there and take care of it.

Finding the Fane

As the heroes prepare to go out on the lake and find the top of the fane, it turns out that 2 hezrous have escaped. These creatures are a "medium" encounter for a 14th lvl group:

• 2 Hezrous: Monster Manual pg 60
  

Into the Fane: The hatch on the top is arcane locked (PH pg 215). It can be bypassed with a password (the hezrous know it).

Walls: 2 feet thick, not harmed by disintegrate spells

Doors: Stone, carved with scenes of mayhem

Light: Dim, red, flickering continual flames

Demon Skull Fonts: Many rooms in the fane have a demon skull font, which issues forth dark blood from its mouth and eyes.These fonts have special properties:

• Drink: Fiends/undead regain 4d8+7 HP. Other creatures take 25 psychic dmg. Drinker also receives telepathic information from anyone who bleeds into a font. 
• Each font contains d4+1 draughts.
• Using Holy Water on a Font: Causes a font to cease to function.

Scrying: Blocked.

Ethereal Alarm: Anyone who passes through a wall/floor/ceiling triggers a magical silent alarm that alerts Distania the succubus (MM pg 285). She becomes ethereal and tracks down the intruder, possibly charming them. 

Flooding the Fane: The Fane cannot be flooded. It magically keeps the lake water out. If you become wet in the fane, it evaporates almost immediately.

If the fane's heart is destroyed or disabled, the fane can be flooded as normal.

The Pentagrams

In this dungeon, the group will come upon three pentagrams in 3 separate rooms. Each pentagram has a different word inscribed in it. Stepping in to a pentagram takes you to an Abyssal realm where you must take a "sacrament" of Ochremeshk:

• Room 5 - The Iron Chimera - "Eat" (Eat a red wafer that makes non-evil sick)
  
• Room 13 - Hilt Sphere - "Breathe" (Inhale incense, makes you smarter, but weaker later)
  
• Room 22 - Mistresses of the Night -  "Burn" (put your hand in black fire)
  

Once you have taken all three sacraments, you can go to room 26 and touch the smoke there. A magical doorway forms, opening to room 28.

Areas of the Fane

On Top of the Fane: Hatch/Plug: 2 feet diameter, arcane locked (PH pg 215). If the plug is somehow destroyed, it magically re-forms 10 minutes later.

1. The Smiling Demon: Complicated room! Here's the deal:

1. You stick pins in the statue. 
2. Statue opens its mouth, revealing a key. 
3. Use the key on the invisible sphere flying around the room. 
4. This causes a hole to open in the floor that leads to room 2.

Statue: Man with yellow eyes (has soft parts on its chest)

• Onyx Box: At the feet of the statue. In the box are needles.
• Leather: The statue is wrapped in black leather.

Demonskull Font: Details above.

Invisible Sphere: 6 inches across. Floats about the room. 

• It can lift up to 300 pounds.
• Pick Lock: DC 25. Once unlocked, a 10 ft. square hole appears in the floor, leads to room 2.

2. Chamber of Hooks: Walls covered in hooks, floor is a mazelike pattern.

Two Doors: Both arcane locked (PH pg 215). 

• Open: Pour two pints of liquid into floor.

Search Room: Find peepholes, find secret lever in a hook.

Going back to Room 1: Hidden in a hook is a gem-studded lever that will open the hole in the ceiling.

3. Guard Room: Iron table, corpse of a man who killed self.

• Demonskull Font

Door: Locked. DC 25. The key to it is lost.

4. Armory: On the table are weapons made from red metal. 

5. The Iron Chimera:

Moving in the Room: If you move more than half your speed in a turn, you must make a DC 15 acrobatics check or be scraped by a hook, taking 5 piercing damage and fall prone.

I based the chimera on an iron golem, which is a CR 16, "medium" difficulty encounter for the group.

Iron Chimera: AC 20 HP 210 Spd 30, fly 60
STR 24 DEX 11 CON 20 INT 3 WIS 14 CHA 1
Darkvision 60 ft.

Damage Immunities: Fire, Poison, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Adamantine

Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned

• Fire Absorption: Whenever the golem is subjected to fire damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to the fire damage dealt.
• Immutable Form: The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
• Magic Resistance: The golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Magic Weapons: The golem's weapon attacks are magical.

Attacks:

• Multiattack: The chimera makes three attacks: one with its bite, one with its horns, and one with its claws. When its fire breath is available, it can use the breath in place of its bite or horns.
• Bite: +13 to hit, 20 (3d8+7) piercing dmg
• Horns: +13 to hit, 23 (3d10+7) bludgeoning dmg
• Claws: +13 to hit, 20 (3d8+7) slashing
• (Rchg 5-6) Fire Breath: 15 foot cone, each creature makes a DEX save DC 19, taking 45 (10d8) fire on a fail, half dmg on a success

Pentagram: 10 feet across, made of glowing red energy. Word in center: "Eat."

• Step in: Teleported to the Nightmare Chamber on pg 40.

When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear in an Abyssal realm on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lave.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit (MM pg 63) appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• Body: The character is offered a red wafer with a demon's face on it. A non-evil character who does so must make a CON save DC 15 or is poisoned until their next long rest. Once at least one character partakes, they are teleported back to room 5.
  

6. The Black Cocoon: 8 large ovoid objects, iron guillotine, demonskull font.

Cocoons: If disturbed, 8 bodaks emerge from them.

Guillotine: Runes on the blade (Abyssal writing): "Feed on the blood of their necks, oh Mighty Lord."

8 Bodaks: Volo's pg 127 (remember, they have an aura that does 5 necrotic - and the aura dmg stacks, as far as I know - and when a creature starts their turn and sees their eyes, they must make a CON sv DC 13 and, if they fail by 5+, drop to 0 HP!

So... just 5 bodaks is a deadly encounter for a group of lvl 14 heroes. I've decided to just go ahead and let the 8 bodaks be in here and see what happens. There might no necessarily even be a fight in here if the group doesn't touch the cocoons, and I'd say the group would have at least one round to flee/prepare while the bodaks emerge from their cocoons.

7. Vrock Roost: The group starts off on trapped stairs. 2 vrocks (MM pg 64) lurk in this room.

We got ourselves some trapped stairs. It goes like this:

1. The heroes head down the steps to get to room 7.
2. There is a feather on one step (it's nothing - a red herring).
3. The final step is trapped. Who ever steps on the final step is stunned and flung into the room, while bars drop from the ceiling and trap the rest of the group on the stairwell. 
4. 1 vrock attacks the isolated hero, while the other uses magic missiles to pummel the rest of the group.

Final Step: 2 saves: CON save DC 15 or stunned (save at the end of each turn to remove) and DEX save DC 20 or be flung 20 feet into the room.

Iron Bars: This room has a "roost" of iron bars. Touching a bar does 15 lightning damage (the vrocks are immune). 

2 Vrocks: (MM pg 64) One has a wand of magic missiles (DMG pg 211).

This is an "easy" encounter for a 14th lvl group of characters.

Treasure: Obsidian bracelet worth 1,000 gp.

8. Vrock Lair: This is where the vrocks live. There is a torture rack in here.

• Demonskull Font

Nest of Bones: 341 gp, gold ring worth 150 gp, vrock spores: A 15­-foot­-radius cloud of toxic spores extends out from the vrock. The spores spread around corners. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, a target takes 5 (1d10) poison damage at the start of each of its turns. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Emptying a vial of holy water on the target also ends the effect on it.

Torture Device: A rack with a corpse on it. Has runes - Abyssal writing: "Although this sacrifice is long in coming, enjoy its sweet suffering, dark master, as much as its soul."

9. Master of Defenses: There's a glabrezu in here, and a magic iron throne. Sit on it, I dare you!

• Demonskull Font

Blade Chandelier: Plaque on it reads: "As this sacrifice's blood drains down upon the throne, Ochermeshk, know that we speak your name in reverent tones."

Iron Throne: Sit on the throne:

• You are held immobile by wire and vines (no saving throw!) Does 5 slashing damage per round.
• Escape the vines: STR check DC 25, or cut to wires (wires have 4 HP each).
• If a person sitting on the throne says "Ochremeshk" they receive the Mantle of Egregious Might! Gain the effects of a potion of heroism (immune to being frightened, gain 7 temporary HP at the start of each turn) for 4 hours and have the ability to raise/lower the prismatic walls that block rooms 10 and 14 (see pg 19).
  

Sekeren the Glabrezu: (MM pg 58) It should probably start off by using power word stun (PH pg 267). COn sv DC 16, fail = stunned!

The glabrezu is an "easy" fight. This is fine to me... I am a little worried that this dungeon will feel like a slog. Having some of the nonessential encounters be easy means the group can breeze through some areas and we're moving along at a brisk pace.

10. Hall of Paintings: Walls covered in paintings (there is a secret door behind one painting, reveals stairs to room 16).

Paintings: There are 10 paintings, each 4 feet tall x 8 feet across.Removing a painting requires a DC 15 WIS save or you can't bring yourself to do it. Removing 3+ paintings will trigger a secret warning to Distania the succubus (MM pg 285).

1. Building the Fane: Cultists laboring.
2. Finished Fane: Nobody around.
3. The First Revel: Cultists cavorting with trolls, hags, and demons.
4. Sacrifices for the Demon God: Dozens of sacrifices.
5. Blood Hunters: Mortals riding nightmares, dragging kidnapped victims away.
6. Sekeren: Glabrezu sitting on the Iron Throne
7. Charmachnar, Master of the Fane: A balor standing on a pile of corpses.
8. Sussinst-ir, High Priestess: A bald half-elf with a staff topped with a demonic head.
9. Lytaros Fel + Distania: A satyr-looking half-demon and a succubus... in love.
10. Ochremeshk, Demon God: A huge demon lord surrounded by tormented  souls.

11. Distania: Lavish Bedchamber (hidden in the pillows are keys to the chest and secret door)

• Demonskull Font

Chest: (trapped and locked DC 15) Trap: poison insanity mist CON save DC 15. In the chest:

• Cloak of Elvenkind (DMG pg 158)
  
• Demonskull Talisman (gives you advantage one time, turns to dust when used)
• Bag containing 12 pearls, each worth 50 gp (total value 600 gp)
  

Furnishings: Wardrobe contains silky, sheer clothing, cosmetics and perfumes worth 500 gp. I feel like we need to make up some succubus perfumes:

• Come Hither: A floral bouquet of rose and jasmine with a touch of vanilla to deepen.
• Flirtatious Touch: A blend of patchouli, praline, red berries, and vanilla encapsulating the following three facets: "celestial, delicious, and voluptuous."
• Slip of the Tongue: It has a full-bodied scent—powdery but complimented with notes of vanilla, amber, iris, and bergamot. It is sultry and ever-lasting.

Secret Door: Locked, sloping passage to room 13.

Distania: Succubus (MM pg 285)

12. The Beloved of Distania: Silk pillows, groaning corpses.

This room contains 10 undead lovers of the succubus (each killed by her touch), who are calling to her. 

10 wights: MM pg 300

This is a "hard" encounter for a lvl 14 party. I'm not sure I'm going to run this as a combat. I think it's just an interesting thing that makes Distania unique - this is what happens to her "lovers." I do like the idea of them crawling to and grabbing heroes, begging them to bring Distania to them, triggering their Life Drain power in the process.

13. Hilt Sphere: Spherical room, pentagram.

Pentagram: Step inside, it teleports you to the Nightmare Chamber on page 40.

When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear in an Abyssal Realm on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lava.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• If you came from Room 13 - Breath: The quasit is holding a bronze incense burner. Inhale: CON sv DC 15. Fail: Gives you advantage on INT-based skill checks, but once you take a rest, that effect goes away and you are poisoned until your next long rest. Once at least one character partakes, the group is teleported back to room 13.
  

14. Demon Giants: 

• Demonskull Font

Bed Chambers: Iron bed, pot of burning coals, bags.

• Erche's Bag: Potion of cold resistance (DMG pg 188), potion of vitality (DMG pg 188), Battered idol of Ochremeshk, 43 sp.
• Burch's Bag: 3 copper skulls (worth 45 gp each), potion of invisibility (DMG pg 188), potion of fire giant strength (DMG pg 187), potion of speed (DMG pg 188)

2 Fire Giants: MM pg 154

Two fire giants is a medium difficulty encounter for a party of 14th level heroes.

Secret Door: Leads to area 16.

15. Fire Pit: This is a large pit that the heroes might end up getting teleported into via traps in other rooms. There is a magically fireproof chest in the fire.

• Runes: Abyssal Language: "Accept the lives of these burning sacrifices, Lord Ochremeshk. Their charred flesh and screams of agony are yours."
  
• Fire: These magic flames destroy everything and emit no smoke.
• Heat: 10 fire damage when you enter or start your turn.

Chest: The fire giants, immune to fire, have put a magically fireproof chest in here. The chest is hot to the touch (10 fire damage) and has bands wrapped around it that must be removed (STR check DC 20).

• The interior of the chest is magically cool. Contains 2,310 gp, goblet worth 80 gp, rubies worth 550 gp, 2 golden platters worth 240 gp total, and a malachite flask worth 400 gp.

Teleport: Characters might appear in this fire pit if they tried to teleport in room 22. Same with room 25.

16. Flesh Golems: This room has trapped stairs. The middle step is trapped. If you step on it:

1. Iron bars seal the group in a cage.
2. The cage interior is an antimagic field (PH pg 213 - spells can't be cast, magic items don't work)
3. 5 flesh golems with polearms (15 foot reach +7/+7 9 dmg) stab at the group through the bars.

5 Flesh golems: MM pg 169

This is a "hard" encounter for a 14th lvl group.

17. Holy Ghost: In this room is a friendly ghost.

• Demonskull font

Galla, Paladin of Good: Ghost (MM pg 147) She has a lot of information to share:

• To Destroy the Fane's Heart: You must step into all 3 pentagrams in the fane. Then you can activate the transporter to the Fane's Heart.
• Lytaros Fel: Lytaros Fel runs this place now. He killed the former leader, a lich. He is trying to warp reality/timeso that the fane was never submerged int he lake. 
• Holy Sword: Galla had a holy sword, but the bad guys took it. (This sword is in the pit in room 26)
  

18. Tendrils of Death: There are 4 ropers, who will try to get into a "tug of war", trying to pull a character apart.

• Demonskull Font

4 Ropers: MM pg 261

This is a "medium" encounter for lvl 14 heroes

19. Guardians: 3 trolls lurk in here, along with an iron cage containing an animated skeleton. If there's noise, the troll from room 20 will probably come running.

Skeleton: If destroyed, it reforms.

3 Trolls: MM pg 291

This is a medium encounter... hard if the spirit troll joins.

20. Lasteresh's Pool: Large basin full of water - this is where the hezrou lived.

• Demonskull Font

Runes: Abyssal Language: "The drowning screams that come from the murders in this pool are yours, oh Mighty Ochremeshk."

Troll Commander: Spirit Troll (Volo's pg 244). I like the troll variants in Volo's! This one can move through objects and creatures, and its bite stuns.

21. T'Lurg's Chamber: T'Lurg is an old, wrinkly, ogre mage, who will flee to room 22, where he hopes the hags will help him deal with the characters.

T'Lurg the Ogre Mage: Oni MM pg 239. Not a threat to the group. If it is going to flee, it could make itself invisible or assume gaseous form.

22. Mistresses of the Night: In this room are two night hags riding retrievers. This room has a magical effect that redirects attempts at teleportation.

• Demonskull Font

Teleportation Redirect: Any character who tries to teleport in here, appears in the fire pit in room 15.

Pentagram: "Burn" Step in, teleport to Nightmare Chamber on page 40.

When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear in an Abyssal Realm on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lava.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• Black Fire: The quasit holds a burning silver brazier shaped like a skull. Put your hand in: Take 5 necrotic dmg, HP Max reduced until you are healed by good magic. Once at least one character partakes, the group is teleported back to room 22.
  

2 Demon Pillars with Watching Eyes: Can summon 2 retrievers per hour

• Retrievers: Mordenkainen's pg 222
  
• If you touch the pillars and say "Ochremeshk," you teleport to room 24.

Kadara and Vumul: 2 night hags (MM pg 178) I am thinking that the hags will just go ethereal and let their retrievers do their thing.
2 Retrievers: Mordenkainen's pg 222

OK... a retriever is a CR 14 monster! The adventure wants two of them in here. Just one retriever, alone, is a "medium" threat. I think what I'll do is, see how the group is rolling along. If they're using spells like banishment to clear out threats, then I'll leave both retrievers in. But if not, I'll just give the hags one retriever.

23. The Hags' Quarters: (The door to this room is locked and trapped: CON sv DC 15 or 32 psychic dmg an HP MAX reduced until long rest. If 0 HP = dead).

Beds hang from the ceiling, there's a rug made of hair

Lanterns: Touch: WIS sv DC 20 create magic light = darkness

Trunks: Each of these has a three-spinner combination lock DC 20.

If you cast Knock (PH pg 254) on these locks, it triggers a lightning bolt spell DEX sv DC 15 8d6 lightning dmg, save for half.

Trunk 1: 

• 3 vials of torpor (600 gp) CON sc DC 15 or poisoned for 4d6 hours and incapacitated.
• 3 flasks of alchemist's fire (rg 20 d4 fire dmb, extinguish DEX DC 10)
• 1 antitoxin (adv on saves vs poison for one hour)
• 10 pieces of jewelry worth 100 gp each,

Trunk 2: 

• 782 gp, 219 pp, clotch doll riddled with needles
• "Bag of holding" actually bag of devouring (DMG pg 153). Reach hand in 50% chance you're pulled in, escape = STR DC 20.
• 2 potions of supreme healing (8d4+8)
• 1 scroll of lesser restoration (PH pg 255)
  

Books: 

• Manual of quickness of action (DMG pg 181, takes 48 hours to read... +2 to DEX score)
• Vumul's Journal: She is devoted to Ochremeshk. Last entry says "History will be re-written."
  

24. Master of the Blood Hunters: This room works as follows:

• This room is shrouded in a permanent darkness (PH pg 230) spell (need a level 3 light spell to counter it)
• There are pillars with invisible blades on them.
  
• Room is spinning: Start turn: DEX save DC 10. Fail = cut by invisible blades, 7 slashing dmg.
  
• The vampire in here has a gem of seeing (DMG pg 172 - gives truesight for 10 minutes) in his eyepatch.

Throne: Has a secret switch that lowers it to room 25.

Ungalish the Vampire: MM pg 297

• His resting place is in room 26, under the statue in the pit.

25. The Multi-Leveled Pit:  Invisible floor is 30 feet above the real floor. 15 feet below are 2 skeletons

Upper 2 levels are walls of force (beholder's anti-magic cone suppresses the walls)

Teleport Redirect: Using any sort of teleportation in here send you to the fire pit in room 15.

Iron Levers: Reverse gravity for d4 rounds.

Doors: STR check DC 25, blocked by calcified skulls on the far side.

Painted Eye: Beholder appears in here 1 round after the group enters.

Pit: At the bottom of the room's south end, there is a permanent [hase door activated by saying "Chaos and Evil for Ochremeshk." Drops you to room 26.

2 Devourers: Volo's pg 138

1 Beholder: MM pg 28

This is wayyy too tough for a 14th level group. The beholder alone is a "medium" threat. The devourers are CR 13 each! But... The devourers are separate, sealed off from the group by walls of force. I'm inclined to leave this as-is. Devourers are really cool monsters, they definitely don't get enough use.

26. The Profanity: This room is under the effect of a forbiddance spell (PH pg 243). To enter, make a DC 15 WIS save or take 10 psychic damage.

Demon statue rises 30 feet out of a pit, each hand holds a blob (retrievers!).

Unhallow: PH pg 249 

Smoke: If a character has taken all three sacraments, they can touch the smoke to create a doorway to room 28. 

Pit: 20 feet deep (in this pit is Galla's "+1 demonbane longsword." Let's make this a "demon slayer":

Demon Slayer
Weapon (any sword), rare

• You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
• When you hit a demon with this weapon, the demon takes an extra 3d6 damage.

Alcoves: West = Chaos, East = Evil. 

Fire Pit: 15 ft deep 10 fire dmg. Obsidian statue of Ochremeshk in the fire, touch with a demonskull amulet = gain inspiration, covered in a nimbis of green fire. If a chaotic character does this, Ochremeshk offers them a wish in exchange for a sacrifice.

Runes: In the Abyssal language, proclaiming praise for Ochremeshk.

(Secret Door: East wall, trapped with fire d4+11 dmg)

2 Bebiliths: We'll use this stat block here.

The bebiliths are CR 11. Two of them are a "hard" encounter for the 14th lvl heroes.

27. Lytaros Fel's Quarters: There is a table in here with a ton of stuff on it.

Table: Contains an alchemy lab worth 1,000 gp and all these things:

• Potion of Greater healing (heals 4d4+4)
• Potion of Heroism (grants 10 temp HP and effects of Bless)
• Wand of Magic Missiles (DMG pg 211)
• (Invisible Spellbook): You need special viewing glasses to read it. Contains the spells that a lich has (see MM pg 202)
• (Hidden Chest - hidden via an illusion): Locked DC 20, This chest is insane, see below.

Hidden Chest: Trapped - Glyph of warding (spot with DC 20 Investigation) 20 foot radius DEX sv DC 15 or 5d8 acid dmg, half on save

• Scrolls: (all have glyphs of warding that do 5d8 acid, like the glyph on the chest) Greater Restoration (PH pg 246), Dispel Magic (PH pg 234), Blade Barrier (PH pg 218), Flame Strike (PH pg 242), Raise Dead (PH pg 270)
• Soulstealer: +1 dagger, sentient, Chaotic Evil, can detect good at will, casts haste once per day
• There's a complicated hidden compartment in here, too (see below)
  

Hidden Compartment: Has a glyph of warding (Harm CON sv DC 15 fail 14d6 necrotic, half dmg on save HP Max reduced for 1 hour.

• Bag of Holding: (DMG pg 153) In this bag is an iron box (locked DC 20, trapped - glyph of warding 20 foot radius DEX sv DC 15 or 5d8 acid dmg, half on save
• Demonskull talisman
• A Book: Actually a vacuous grimoire! 2 saving throws. Fail the first -1 INT, Fail the second: -2 WIS
• Book of Vile Darkness! (DMG pg 222)
  

28. The Fane's Heart: Globe without gravity, red runes

So basically, this is where the heroes can go back in time to stop the bad guys from altering history. The evildoers want to make it so that the fane was never sealed off.

Ritual of Time Displacement:

• The heroes will be in the past for 10 rounds, then are returned to the present.
• They must defend the hero, Enchelious
• It is expected that they will focus on fighting Lytaros Fel while Enchelious battles the balor
• Rules: Nothing can be brought back from the past. | Things from the future cannot be left in the past (even single arrows)

Balor: MM pg 55

Enchelious:War Priest, Volo's pg 218

Lytaros Fel: Re-skinned Arcanoloth, MM pg 313

The adventure wants to set it up so that Enchelious fights the balor, and the group fights Lytaros. I am of the opinion that it is so rare for a group to actually have the opportunity to fight a balor, and I really don't want to pass this up. It's one of the ultimate fights in D&D, right? A balor! 

The balor is a CR 19 monster, which is a "Hard" encounter for the lvl 14 group. We're doing this!

(pg 41) The Nightmare Chamber: When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear here on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lave.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• If you came from Room 5 - Body: The character is offered a red wafer with a demon's face on it. A non-evil character who does so must make a CON save DC 15 or is poisoned until their next long rest.
• If you came from Room 13 - Breath: The quasit is holding a bronze incense burner. Inhale: CON sv DC 15. Fail: Gives you advantage on INT-based skill checks, but once you take a rest, that effect goes away and you are poisoned until your next long rest.
• If you come from Room 22 - Black Fire: The quasit holds a burning silver brazier shaped like a skull. Put your hand in: Take 5 necrotic dmg, HP Max reduced until you are healed by good magic.

At least one character must partake in a sacrament. Once done, they are teleported back to whence they came.

Good characters linked to a deity may need to atone for these acts within one week, or have their alignment shifted to neutral or evil.

Possessing the Book of Vile Darkness

The Book of Vile Darkness took me by surprise. Really? It's in this place? This book is a major artifact! What happens when a character has it in their possession? And seeing how this campaign is all about the lifebane, a force that strengthens all chaos and evil throughout the multiverse, wouldn't that make this book even more potent?

Check out DMG pg 222. Once attuned to it, if you do a good deed, the book disappears. It is likely the heroes won't have this for long.

Just for fun, let's toll the random properties. Totally legit, no re-rolling, just to see what happens.

• (75) While attuned to the Book, you can use an action to cast one 2nd lvl spell of the DM's choice from it (I choose Invisibility). After you cast it, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-5, you can't cast it again until the next dawn.
• (62) While attuned to the Book, you can use an action to cast one 2nd lvl spell of the DM's choice from it I choose Darkness). After you cast it, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-5, you can't cast it again until the next dawn.
• (42) While attuned to the Book, you have resistance to one damage type of the DM's choice (necrotic makes sense, right?)

1 Major Beneficial Property

• (77) While attuned to the Book, you can use an action to cast one 6th lvl spell of the DM's choice from it (I choose Circle of Death). After you cast it, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-5, you can't cast it again until the next dawn.
  

3 Minor Detrimental Properties

• (67) While attuned to this artifact, nonmagical flames are extinguished within 30 feet of you.
• (89) While you are attuned to the artifact, animals within 30 feet are hostile toward you.
• (39) While attuned to the artifact, you are physically ill and have disadvantage on any ability check or saving throw that uses Strength or Constitution.
  

2 Major Detrimental Properties

• (80) When you become attuned to the artifact, one of your ability scores is reduced by 2 at random. A greater restoration spell restores the ability to normal.
• (55) When you become attuned to the artifact, you gain a form of long-term madness (DMG pg 260). These only last 1d10x10 hours. I'm a bit torn between having the character roll and just picking the madness. If I were to pick, I'd take: The character experiences uncontrollable tremors or tics, which impose disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws that involve Strength or Dexterity.

Today we're going to look at a famous D&D item - The Book of Vile Darkness. I'm going to go through old D&D products and try to collect all of the known lore right here. Really, I just want to answer the question: "What is actually written in the Book of Vile Darkness?"

Tomes: This guide joins the ranks of some of my favorite things to write about - D&D tomes. I've written guides like this on 2 other legendary D&D items:

• Demonomicon of Iggwilv
• Codex of the Infinite Planes
  

Combining the Lore: I've taken all the lore and information from various editions and crammed it into my version of the book. I took a few liberties, attributing certain ideas written in various sourcebooks to Vecna. Let's look at my Book of Vile Darkness, then we'll go through each product and see how we got here.

What is in the Book of Vile Darkness?

• Vecna's Introduction: This is actually written out in the 4e Book of Vile Darkness sourcebook.
• Vecna's Notes on The Beginning: Vecna writes about how Atropus created the gods, and that in the early days there was no evil, just order vs. chaos. 
• Energy Planes: Vecna writes about how the multiverse seems to spring from two planes: The Positive Energy Plane and the Negative Energy Plane.
  
• Atropus: Vecna writes about Atropus, a "stillborn god" who floats in the multiverse destroying worlds. Atropus apparently created the gods, and now wishes to destroy them.
  
• The Vasharans: Details on the Vasharans, a human subrace that pre-dates mortals, linked to Graz'zt.
• Notes on Evil: Vecna's vast research on the secrets of the multiverse and the nature of evil.
• Apotheosis: The book contains the ritual for becoming a lich, and the process on how one might become an evil god.
• God of Death: Concepts linked to Nerull, a god of death, written by his priests.
  
• Infernal Writings: Topics relating to the Nine Hells, written by Baalzebul, the arch-devil.
• The Chained God: Writings of a mad follower of Tharizdun, detailing the shard of evil that lurks at the bottom of the Abyss. A claim is made: "Evil wasn't born until Tharizdun plucked a shard of darkness from the furthest reaches of the cosmos."
• God of Decay: Information on Amnissos, a god of decay. Written by high priest Xenothrakti Ur-tocul.
• Vecna's Following: Writings of The Heart, high priestess of Vecna, detailing what Vecna's followers have learned following Vecna's apotheosis.
  
• Mad Zakharan Scrawlings: Random notes written by Thuba Mleen's prisoners.
• Im-Ravin's Research: A lich named Im-Ravin may have used the information in this book to become a lich. He writes about Vytholus, an ancient serpent god who rules an abyssal layer, and the lifebane, sentient energy that, in theory, could empower Atropus.
  
• Ancient Evil Gods: Writings relating to many of the most evil deities: Karaan, Rallaster, The Patient One, Scahrossar, The Xammux, and Yeathan.
• The Age of Worms: A prophecy that speaks of transforming the world through Kyuss, the Worm God.
• Shemeshka's Notes: Shemeshka the Marauder, an arcanoloth, provides wry notes in certain sections, possibly about the baernoloths.
• Nhagruul's Dragon Magic: The writings of a mad wizard who has since merged with the book. Includes information on corrupting dragon eggs to create Nhagruul Dragonspawn.
• Black Magic: Many new spells, including Apocalypse from the Sky (from Elder Evils) and a huge pile of spells from the 3e Book of Vile Darkness supplement (converted to 5e here).
• Sacrifices: "Methods on extracting pain from the innocent." This topic is also covered in the 3e sourcebook.
• Forbidden Secrets: How to use Dark Chant to empower undead.
• Dark Speech: How speakers can use Dark Speech to empower magic items, weaken physical objects, command vermin, and cause magical fear.
• Stealing Divine Magic: The book details the process in which an Ur-Priest can actually steal divine magic and spells from other deities.
• Demon Husbandry: Summoning demons, using demons.

AD&D 1st Edition Dungeon Master's Guide

• It takes a week to read it.
• Evil clerics gain +1 WIS and XP.
• Neutral clerics either lose XP or become evil.
• Good clerics who read the book must SAVE OR DIE. They go permanently insane if they live.
• Good characters who handle the tome take 5-30 damage.
• Good characters who look inside the book gain the attention of a night hag. Why a night hag?

So basically, evil characters who read the book gain a stat point and a pile of XP.

Dragon Magazine #37 - The Pit of the Oracle

The Stalker

• A Hammer of Thunderbolts
• Ring of Regeneration
• Staff of Power
• Rod of Lordly Might
• Staff of Withering
• Cloak of the Manta Ray
• Horn of Blasting
• "One copy of the Necronomicon (Latin)"
• Deck of Many Things!
• Magic Carpet
• and... "one book of vile darkness"
  

We are told: "Note that though the treasure is great the risks and obstacles are incredible."

Who is the Dark Lord? In this adventure, it is explained that the Stalker/Oracle and this dungeon was created by an evil entity known as the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord is described as a man in "...a long, flowing, floor-length robe with a face-covering, horned helmet through which only two evil, orbless eyes can be seen." His symbol is "the indullable Red-Eye..."

AD&D 2nd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide

This entry is virtually identical to the 1e version. 

I figured there would be info in the Book of Artifacts, but there isn't!

Temple, Tower, & Tomb

This book contains three adventures for characters lvl 7-12. The first one is The Temple of Amnissos.

The heroes live in a land that is on the brink of war. The ruler is hoping to find magic that will aid him. He has located a few items:

1. The Hesper (A crystal ball/gem of seeing)
2. The Fasces ( bundle..? containing a rod of lordly might, a rod of passage, and a rod of terror)
3. The Annulus (a helm of telepathy/comprehending languages).
   

The heroes are sent to a ruined temple of Amnissos to retrieve the Hesper.

Aminissos: An ancient god of decay. No longer worshiped - his death-loving cult has disappeared. Destroyed by a paladin-king named Leonidas.

The Hesper is in the Temple. This temple is a cruel, cruel locale. Here's one room: A hallway with dust.

There is a Hall of Relics, containing items important to worshipers of Amnissos.

• Ring of Regeneration
• Staff of Withering
• Gem of Seeing
• A bunch of potions
• A Book of Vile Darkness. "The chest contains a book of vile darkness that belonged to the mightiest high priest of Amnissos, Xenothrakti Ur-toxul. Any good-aligned PC who touches the book receives 5d6 damage; nonevil neutral characters suffer 5d4 damage."

Labyrinth of Madness

This is the ultimate D&D adventure! An insane, deadly dungeon for characters level 17-20, written by Monte Cook himself. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that the guy who wrote the 3e Book of Vile Darkness included the magic item in this adventure.

The final room of the dungeon is the tomb of Im-Ravin, a lich/yuan-ti high priest of a serpent god called Vytholus. Once the group deals with Im-Ravin and his phylactery, they can loot his sarcophagus.

In it is a "ring of woven unicorn hairs worth 10,000 gp", a portable hole, and a Book of Vile Darkness.

Die Vecna Die

In this adventure, the heroes will go to the Palace of Vecna. Deep inside is a crypt thing that guards a tiny chamber. The creature has the ability to teleport intruders into a prison cell in another area.

"Inside the crypt thing’s chamber is a bier it rests upon when not active, and a small iron box containing three gems (worth 50 gp, 1,000 gp, and 1,400 gp). The box rests upon a book whose white covers are smudged with dirt and bloody fingerprints. This tome is a book of vile darkness."

Much deeper in the palace, is a chamber that is home to The Heart, Vecna's High Priestess.  She has a book of vile darkness that she was in the process of reading.

In the back of this adventure, artifacts linked to Vecna are detailed:

• The Eye of Vecna
• The Hand of Vecna
• The Sword of Kas
  

Nothing on the Book of Vile Darkness, though.

AD&D 2nd Edition Trading Cards - Thuba's Book of Vile Darkness

There are a few cards detailing an Al Qadim NPC named Thuba Mleen. He was a psionicist who wore yellow robes. He acquired the Book of Vile Darkness from a priest who visited him and tried to usurp his throne. Thuba enjoyed having prisoners read from the book so he could learn more bout it.

So.. the prisoners probably lost XP and went mad.

D&D 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide

I'm really interested in what is actually in the book, but so far, not getting a lot of info. You read it for a week. What are you reading? Hopefully the next few books will fill in some details. 

D&D 3e Book of Vile Darkness

There is a 5th edition conversion of much of this content on the DMs Guild.

Vile Gods: We learn about some new deities:

• Karaan: A beast god of the dark side of nature.Karaan may be related to Yeenoghu, the demon lord of gnolls.
• Rallaster: The Razor God, a deity of murder, torture, and psychotic behavior. He is a tall, glistening, ebony-skinned humanoid without hair or wrinkles. His entire body is made of razors, dripping with blood and oil.
• The Patient One: An alien creature that whispers secrets to itself. It "waits until its time comes, and then it strikes, destroying or consuming everything in its path. Revered by aberrations (mind flayers and beholders worship it!)
• Scahrossar: The Mistress of Exquisite Pain. She wears studded black leather and holds a whip and a hook. She is Olidammara's sister. Her followers wear leather or iron masks.
• The Xammux: An entity comprised of 6 different beings. It represents cold, analytical thinking taken to its extreme. It is a patron of utter indifference and delves into forbidden knowledge through exploration and experimentation.
• Yeathan: God of the evil depths, master of the last gasping breath. A sea god worshiped by kuo toa and aboleths.
  

Vile Races and Cultures: The supplement details 2 sub-races:

• Vasharans: A race created by Graz'zt (!) from the remains of the first mortal the gods had tried to create. The Vasharans are evil humans with black hair.
• Jerren: A halfling tribe that committed atrocities against goblins and bugbears.
  

History: In a sidebar, we learn more about the Book of Vile Darkness:

• The book was originally a scroll written by a Vasharan spellcaster millenia ago.
• Years later, a cleric of Nerull found it and added to it.
• Other evil priests added to it.
• Eventually the collected works fell into the hands of a genocidal wizard and warlord named Vecna.
• After he died and rose as a lich, Vecna transcribed the scrolls into a bound book. He created its cover from the flesh of a human face and the bones of a demon.
• The symbols on the cover are understandable only by those who have read the book in its entirety.
• Cultists of Erythnul kept the book in a vault for many years, using it as part of an initiation ritual.
• A few flawed copies were made. Errors in the copies caused the reader to be drawn into one of the Lower Planes.
• Thieves stole the original during a great war.
• Baalzebul kept the book in his personal library for a time.
• 6 complete copies exist, including Baalzebul's altered version.
  

The book contains information on:

• Evil deities
• Black magic
• Sacrifices
• Forbidden secrets
  

"Once a mind has absorbed the knowledge in this book, the attached soul is so polluted that there is no recourse other than to turn evil."

"Powerful fiends watch over the book, because where it goes, evil power grows."

Dark Chant: "The dark chant is not a spell, but a number of particularly foul necromantic words and phrases strung together into a litany of evil power." If at least 2 undead speak the chant together, undead within 100 feet are empowered and protected against turning by clerics.

Dark Speech: This is the secret language of the evil gods.. "...so foul and so potent that even demons and devils refrain from its use, lest it consume them."

The safest way to use Dark Speech is through spells found later in this supplement.

"To actually communicate by means of the Dark Speech - that is, for a knowledgeable speaker to convey some information to a knowledgeable listener - the speaker must take great care, or both listener and speaker will be harmed. There are no words in the Dark Speech for good concepts such as kindness, mercy, and purity. However, evil characters can speak of misery, anguish, hate, and betrayal with an accuracy impossible in any other tongue."

It has no written form.

There are four ways that a speaker can use the Dark Speech:

1. Dread: Cause non-evil listeners to flee, evil listeners cower.
2. Power: Energizes magic items and spells (casts spells at a higher level?)
3. Corruption: Weakens physical objects - doors, walls, etc.
4. Dark Unity: Up to 100 vermin/animals form a united hivemind and follow a single command of the speaker.

Ur-Priest: The supplement details a pile of "prestige classes" that higher level characters can become. The Ur-Priest sticks out to me, because it details something I'd imagine would be in the actual Book of Vile Darkness.

The Ur-Priests despise gods. Some of them have learned to tap into divine power and use it for their own needs without praying to or worshiping a god. They never steal too much, and they steal from many different gods.

Evil Spells: There are a TON of these. They've been converted in a 5e DMs Guild product.

Dungeon Magazine 128 - The Champion's Belt

This adventure is part of the acclaimed Age of Worms adventure path. This specific adventure is set in the "Free City" (of Greyhawk) and involves the heroes fighting in an arena. It comes with a super-useful arena poster map.

During an information dump with an NPC, the group learns about the Age of Worms itself. The Age of Worms is an ancient set of prophecies that speak of a transformation of the world, of a time when life gives way to something else. "These prophecies are recorded in certain texts like the Book of Vile Darkness, Libris Mortis, the Necronomicon, and the Apostolic scrolls...."

Elder Evils

Aspect of Atropus

Atropus: Atropus is a "stillborn god" - drifting through the multiverse, searching for worlds to consume and erasing all life. "As the afterbirth of creation, it is committed to unmaking all things."

• Was the force behind the creation of the gods.
• In the process of creating life, Atropus died - it became the wasted materials left over from the formation of the gods.
• Since the gods are living beings, they rely on energy gained from the Positive Energy Plane.
• Atropus must be their inversion - death incarnate, drawing power from the Negative Energy Plane.
• It is a decaying, disembodied head, leaving necromantic detritus in its wake.
• Atropus wishes to unmake living things, to absorb their souls.
  

When Atropus enters a world's orbit, the dead rise from their graves.

• It regrets creating the first gods.
• It drains positive energy from worlds.
• Goal: Destroy all gods.
  

Using the Book: We are given a campaign outline. A villain hopes to use an old tome to summon Atropus. The villain obtains the Book of Vile Darkness, and learns from it that Atropus will visit the world if "...a tragedy of widespread death were to occur."

Apocalypse From the Sky: We are told that there is a corrupt spell in the Book of Vile Darkness called Apocalypse from the Sky. It takes 1 day to cast. Upon completion of the casting, all creatures (including the caster) and objects within a 10-mile radius take 10d6 points of damage.

Atropals: In Elder Evils, it says that Atropus is nothing more than a decaying, disembodied head,
leaving in its wake cast-off necromantic detritus that floats through the void. "Perhaps atropals—the stillborn gods take their shape from these cast-off bits."

This book includes an adventure where the heroes actually get onto Atropus (which is a 700-mile-diameter moonlet) to try to figure out how to get it away from their world. On the Atropus are various undead creaatures, angels of Atropus  ("angels of decay"), an atropal, and an aspect of Atropus itself.

If the group defeats the aspect, the Atropus rockets away from the world, moving at a speed of 40,000 feet. Characters still on the surface are carried with the moonlet.

5e Atropal: I just want to jump over to the 5e Tomb of Annihilation real quick. An atropal is actually one of the big villains of this adventure.

In 5e, an atropal is "...a ghastly, unfinished creation of an evil god, cast adrift and abandoned long ago. Since an atropal was never truly alive, it can’t be raised from the dead or resurrected by any means."

Connected to Negative Plane: It has an umbilical cord that actually attaches to the Negative Plane. "This connection gives the atropal power over death and undeath." The cord can be severed by a vorpal sword.

Summoning Wraiths: An atropal can summon vestiges of creatures that died in the Negative Plane, which manifest as wraiths. 

Powers: It has a few powers that I think help us understand what Atropus might be like:

• Negative Energy Aura: Creatures within 30 feet of the atropal can’t regain hit points, and any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the atropal takes 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.
• Life Drain: The atropal targets one creature it can see within 120 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The atropal regains a number of hit points equal to half the amount of damage dealt.
• Disrupt Life: The atropal lets out a withering wail. Any creature within 120 feet of the atropal that can hear the wail must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or gain 1 level of exhaustion.
• Vulnerable to radiant energy. Makes sense, right?
  

D&D 4th Edition The Book of Vile Darkness

This product is actually two books - one for DMs, and one for Players. The player book actually looks like the book itself.

Shemeshka: We start off with a quote from Shemeshka the Marauder. Shemeshka read the book and doesn't think it is evil.

Vecna's Writing: There is a long passage written by Vecna

“There is not a moment in the long years of my life when darkness did not shroud my thoughts. Looking back through the veil of time, I recall well those early lessons, living a life apart from others due to the stain my family bore upon their souls. We were untouchable, outsiders, cursed, a people known for consorting with the forbidden. Such a life brought great suffering and want, yet I believe the hunger I felt and the resentment brimming in my soul laid the foundation for the greatness I have since achieved.

 “My mother’s identity shaped my earliest life. I recall well her sacrifices, the mewling cries of small animals dying beneath her sacrificial knife. I remember her horrid coupling with things that bore no resemblance to natural creatures. She was stern and cruel, yet she was the greatest teacher I have ever known. Though I have no love for her and was gladdened when the people burned her alive for consorting with fiends, I owe her a great debt. Without her, I would not be who I am today.

 “I mention these memories not out of some maudlin need to explore my origins or as some justification for the actions I have taken in my mortal life. Rather, I bring them up here, in this work, to explain this manuscript’s purpose and to reveal to you the power and wonder residing within darkness.

 “Before any legitimate discussion on the nature of evil can begin, it is first necessary to dispense with the misapprehensions about evil commonly held by those moralizing proselytizers who seek to redeem the corrupted, to save those who have fallen into shadow, and to foster virtue in all they meet. Evil is not an absence of good. It is not a choice. It is not some crime, such as murder, theft, or deviance. It is not service to a reprehensible master; nor is it devotion to some dark power. Evil is one of two forces in the cosmos, an agency locked in eternal struggle against its antithesis. This war has only two sides, the light and the dark. And the whole of creation is both their battleground and the prize for which they vie. Do not be deceived into thinking a middle path will present a way to rise above the struggle. Only good and only evil exist. And not even a hair’s width of space separates them.

 “My mother understood this. She embraced her nature. She welcomed the darkness into her soul and profited from it. And though she found agony and death for her allegiance, her legacy lives on in me and my works.

 “This, then, is why I wrote this book, why I labored to complete my studies on evil and preserve its legacy for all time. This book I leave as a testament to my service to evil and also as a guide to others who would follow my steps into the vile darkness. These contents exist to understand evil’s myriad expressions, to learn from them, and to use them. And though I have embraced the darkness, I know my understanding of it is not yet complete. Therefore, I leave this book open to others to add to its lore with a goal of creating a more perfect understanding of what it means to serve evil and to wield its power.

 “I have but one warning before I leave you to your awakening. Resist not the truths I and perhaps others record here. Open your mind and heart to the knowledge contained on these pages. Only then will you understand and receive the wisdom darkness can provide. Should you falter, should you feel the treacherous pangs of guilt and shame, understand that this book will know. And when this book is roused, it will destroy you. Embrace the lore and spurn the light, and you too shall ever after walk in darkness.”