5
Elminster’s Letters #3 • e Beginning of the End • 2 • Start The magic astronomical event known as “Rain of Fire” had a side effect on the arrangement of the various realities on the general spectrum of the endless possibilities, leading a physical manifestation of a Great Old One from the Far Realm directly to Faerûn. This entity is currently growing to full power, and if PCs don’t kill it before the next sunset (or dawn) it will transmute the entire Sword Coast (and beyond) in a reflection of the Realm. The Old One is now located inside the highest mountain of the Korinn Archipelago, on a small island deeply transmuted by the madness’ mighty influences. PCs shall move across the various areas encircling the peak –battling the mutated creatures present there and exploring creator races’ ruins – before reaching the lair entrance. The adventure hook included in this product prop assumes that PCs are High Harpers (a rank obtainable by using the “Renown” optional rule found in DMG, Chapter 1) or their direct agents. However, other hooks at DM’s discretion are surely viable. e adventure is located on a small unnamed island of the Moonshae Isles. Adventure’s paragraphs are linked to Map’s sections through their numbers. e Far Realm influence has already changed the island landscape: all outdoor areas must be considered as subject to Heavy Precipitation (in form of rain black as ink) as for Dungeon Master’s Guide chapter 5 for the entire duration of the adventure. When a creature’s name appears in bold type, that’s a visual cue pointing to the creature’s stat block in the Monster Manual. e High Peak (area 5) is the center of the fool power coming from Elsewhere. e mountain has been transformed into a gigantic pillar of living flesh as hard as obsidian and, for this reason, it is totally impervious to ethereal movement. Moreover, its slopes are as steep as the ones of Gehenna (see DMG chapter 2), providing no accessible flat areas for flying creatures’ landing. 1 • THE SWAMP This area was a small bog inhabited by harmless frogs. Now it is a large alien swamp spanning 1,5 miles in which the only lifeforms are two Green Slaad. They are deeply telepathically connected with the creature of the peak, and they are intuitively aware of PCs’ mission. For this reason, they are able to automatically detect the PCs exact point of arrival (but not PCs position afterwards if they move fastly) and they will fight to death to defend what they consider both their “mother” and “child”. ese Slaads are mutants. Modify the standard stat block as follows: remove acid Damage Resistance; add acid Damage Immunity; remove the 1/day: fireball Innate Spellcasting; add 1/day: fly Innate Spellcasting; add Speed swim 30 ft. e swamp is at least 30 ft. deep in every point and it is not made of normal mud. A creature that comes into contact with this “xenoslime” takes 5 (1d10) acid damage. e creature takes the damage again at the start of each of its turn until the slime is scraped off or destroyed. Against stone or metal, xenoslime deals 11 (2d10) acid damage each round, and any nonmagical metal weapon or tool used to scrape off the slime is effectively destroyed. A Heal spell can be used to destroy a patch of xenoslime. TREASURE Each Slaad has a magnificent doll made of ivory and ebony resembling a smiling baby kept in an acid-proof case. The dolls are of Small size, dressed with silk garments embroidered with gold. Each of them is worth 1,000 gp. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2016 by Davide Quatrini and Danilo Moretti and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. Sample file

• 2 - DMs Guild...Dungeon Masters Guild. Sample file Elminster’ ette 3 • eginnin nd • 3 • 2 • The power planT The amphibian creator race known as “batrachi” built this

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    5

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: • 2 - DMs Guild...Dungeon Masters Guild. Sample file Elminster’ ette 3 • eginnin nd • 3 • 2 • The power planT The amphibian creator race known as “batrachi” built this

Elminster’s Letters #3 • The Beginning of the End

• 2 •

StartThe magic astronomical event known as “Rain of Fire” had a side effect on the arrangement of the various realities on the general spectrum of the endless possibilities, leading a physical manifestation of a Great Old One from the Far Realm directly to Faerûn. This entity is currently growing to full power, and if PCs don’t kill it before the next sunset (or dawn) it will transmute the entire Sword Coast (and beyond) in a reflection of the Realm. The Old One is now located inside the highest mountain of the Korinn Archipelago, on a small island deeply transmuted by the madness’ mighty influences. PCs shall move across the various areas encircling the peak –battling the mutated creatures present there and exploring creator races’ ruins – before reaching the lair entrance.The adventure hook included in this product prop assumes that PCs are High Harpers (a rank obtainable by using the “Renown” optional rule found in DMG, Chapter 1) or their direct agents. However, other hooks at DM’s discretion are surely viable.

• The adventure is located on a small unnamed island of the Moonshae Isles.

• Adventure’s paragraphs are linked to Map’s sections through their numbers.

• The Far Realm influence has already changed the island landscape: all outdoor areas must be considered as subject to Heavy Precipitation (in form of rain black as ink) as for Dungeon Master’s Guide chapter 5 for the entire duration of the adventure.

• When a creature’s name appears in bold type, that’s a visual cue pointing to the creature’s stat block in the Monster Manual.

• The High Peak (area 5) is the center of the fool power coming from Elsewhere. The mountain has been transformed into a gigantic pillar of living flesh as hard as obsidian and, for this reason, it is totally impervious to ethereal movement. Moreover, its slopes are as steep as the ones of Gehenna (see DMG chapter 2), providing no accessible flat areas for flying creatures’ landing.

1 • The Swamp

This area was a small bog inhabited by harmless frogs. Now it is a large alien swamp spanning 1,5 miles in which the only lifeforms are two Green Slaad. They are deeply telepathically connected with the creature of the peak, and they are intuitively aware of PCs’ mission. For this reason, they are able to automatically detect the PCs exact point of arrival (but not PCs position afterwards if they move fastly) and they will fight to death to defend what they consider both their “mother” and “child”.

• These Slaads are mutants. Modify the standard stat block as follows: remove acid Damage Resistance; add acid Damage Immunity; remove the 1/day: fireball Innate Spellcasting; add 1/day: fly Innate Spellcasting; add Speed swim 30 ft.

• The swamp is at least 30 ft. deep in every point and it is not made of normal mud. A creature that comes into contact with this “xenoslime” takes 5 (1d10) acid damage. The creature takes the damage again at the start of each of its turn until the slime is scraped off or destroyed. Against stone or metal, xenoslime deals 11 (2d10) acid damage each round, and any nonmagical metal weapon or tool used to scrape off the slime is effectively destroyed. A Heal spell can be used to destroy a patch of xenoslime.

Treasure

Each Slaad has a magnificent doll made of ivory and ebony resembling a smiling baby kept in an acid-proof case. The dolls are of Small size, dressed with silk garments embroidered with gold. Each of them is worth 1,000 gp.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2016 by Davide Quatrini and Danilo Moretti and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

Sam

ple

file

Page 2: • 2 - DMs Guild...Dungeon Masters Guild. Sample file Elminster’ ette 3 • eginnin nd • 3 • 2 • The power planT The amphibian creator race known as “batrachi” built this

Elminster’s Letters #3 • The Beginning of the End

• 3 •

2 • The power planT

The amphibian creator race known as “batrachi” built this large cube made of thick violet glass tens of thousand years before the current time, and it was deeply buried into the island ground until the Rain of Fire. It was a technomagical plant able to convert Weave power into energy and heat, and it was fueled by magic items and precious metals and gems. It is currently inoperative, but can be easily accessed through its large north-side entrance. Its core, a levitating translucent-gray sphere created through the use of High Magic, still contains the last objects inserted in it before the fall of the batrachi civilization. The objects can be easily spotted from outside the sphere, but retrieving them is far more difficult.

BaTrachi Power PlanT core

Magic trap. This Medium sized levitating gray sphere made of ectoplasm can be opened only by using the correct sequence of gestures and passwords, accurately spelled in ancient batrachi technical jargon. Obtaining this result is difficult, and a successful DC 25 Intelligence (Arcana) check is required, followed by a successful DC 20 Intelligence (History) check. Unsuccessful checks trigger the trap, as any other forms of interaction with it, both mundane or magical (this fact and the trap effects can be learned by deciphering the warning runes carved on the walls with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check).If triggered, the trap causes an implosion in all the plant area, inflicting 77 (14d10) necrotic damage to all creatures standing inside the violet glass room. A successful DC 15 Constitution save halves the damage, but in any case the implosion destroys all the items contained in the sphere.If the party manages to obtain the objects without activating the trap, a reward of 9,600 XP can be split among the PCs.

Treasure

The “fuel” of the core consists of a Robe of stars, a +3 Rod of the pact keeper, a Ioun stone (absorption), five topazes (500 gp each) and two platinum ingots (1,000 gp each).

3 • The library

Another large batrachi cube made of thick glass (indigo, this time). If accessed by its wide east-side entrance, it reveals a collection of ancient recordings engraved on solid lead sheets.Trick. the documents in this room record the batrachi findings and studies about the Far Realm, so they can be used to discover useful information about the Old One in the High Peak (see Area 5). Unfortunately, they are protected by a DNA-based technomagical cyphering code and will only reveal their content to creatures showing batrachi genetic characteristics (at least partially). Because of this pseudo-scientific “safety-layer”, decoding spells such as Comprehend Languages are useless in understanding the batrachi multi-sensory writings (this information can be learned through a DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check). Possible means of accessing the contents of the lead sheets include the following:

• Use a summoned bullywug to read the sheets (bullywugs are the current, degenerate batrachi descendants);

• Polymorph a PC into a bullywug using transmutation spells;

• Use the genetic processor of the room to permanently transform a PC into a bullywug. This painful alteration requires 10 minutes, removes all the PC’s Racial Traits and substitutes them with the bullywug Racial Traits (which can be found in DMG Chapter 9). The transmutation is permanent and can be reverted only through magical effects of wish or divine intervention level.

The fact that bullywugs share batrachi genes can be learned through a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Medicine) check. Other solutions to the problem surely exist at DM’s discretion.

When PCs manage to read the ancient recordings, they automatically learn the following details about the Great Old One of Area 5: Damage Resistances and Immunities, Condition Immunities, Challenge Rating.

Sam

ple

file

Page 3: • 2 - DMs Guild...Dungeon Masters Guild. Sample file Elminster’ ette 3 • eginnin nd • 3 • 2 • The power planT The amphibian creator race known as “batrachi” built this

Elminster’s Letters #3 • The Beginning of the End

• 4 •

4 • The enTrance

This trapezoidal building made of black glass hides the only physical access to the large cavern of the living High Peak in which the Far Realm entity lurks. Unfortunately, a small coven of completely mad creatures guards the entrance, firmly believing that the alteration that the fool being will bring to Faerûn is totally beneficial, at least for them. They incoherently bubble about “coming of The Omega” and “paradigm shift” in Abyssal and Undercommon and, as for the Slaad of Area 1, are dedicated to protect the Old One at any cost. The members of the coven are Muzkaan the Chasme, Bloopiblooplobalboolbool (a Kuo-Toa Archpriest) and Kethra Lackman, a beautiful mad arcanist (CN female human Mage. She speaks Abyssal, Common, Draconic and Undercommon).

• Kethra and the Kuo-Toa intentionally damaged their ears to become immune to Muzkaan droning ability. For this reason, they are automatically subject to the Deafened condition. This fact does not affect their spellcasting capabilities, however.

Treasure

The three creatures wear black velvet masks stitched with platinum threads as a symbol of coven membership. Each of them is worth 250 gp.

5 • The high peak

The incredibly tall mountain of stinking flesh as hard as stone hosts a large cave, reachable through a dark, narrow tunnel (see Area 4), in which Distopia, the Great Old One coming from the Far Realm, awaits and grows. This big monster is a gelatinous bubble covered in black-and-white stripes that uses two elastic and oozing tentacles to cleave the space around it. Its head resembles a wide, twisted version of a baby’s face with shut eyes and an incessantly moaning toothless mouth. Its only goal is reaching maturity, destroying anyone and anything that tries to stop the process.

DisToPia, seeD of The omegaHuge aberration, neutralArmor Class 13Hit Points 200 (16d12 + 96)Speed 0 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 19 (+4) 11 (+0) 22 (+6) 3 (-4) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)

Damage Immunities acid, poison, psychicDamage Resistances necroticCondition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconsciousSenses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 10Languages Deep Speech, telepathy 60 ft.Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)

sPecial TraiTs

Coming From The Far Realm. If Distopia is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Immutable Form. Distopia is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Moan. Each creature within 60 feet of Distopia that can hear its moan and that isn’t an aberration must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the end of the Distopia’s next turn. If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the creature is immune to the Distopia’s moan for the next 24 hours.

Non-Euclidean Space. The space in a 60-foot radius around Distopia is alien, difficult terrain. Each creature that starts its turn in that area must succeed on a DC 18 Charisma saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.

Unknowable. No skill checks can reveal Distopia’s stats or traits.

acTions

Multiattack. Distopia makes two tentacle attacks. It can make one mind bolt attack in place of one of its tentacle attacks.

Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 60 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (4d12 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) necrotic damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 18). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained. Distopia has two tentacles, each of which can grapple one target.

Mind Bolt. +9 to hit, reach 60 ft., one target. Hit: 27 (6d8) psychic damage.

CREDITS Concept, Design & Text: Davide QuatriniLayout, Graphics and Editing: Inspired DeviceEnglish Language Check: Monica Rizzi

thanks to the Forgotten Realms Wikia and www.5esrd.com

Sam

ple

file

Page 4: • 2 - DMs Guild...Dungeon Masters Guild. Sample file Elminster’ ette 3 • eginnin nd • 3 • 2 • The power planT The amphibian creator race known as “batrachi” built this

Elminster’s Letters #3 • The Beginning of the End

• 5 •

Treasure

When Distopia dies, it leaves behind a crystal of Noumenal Essence. This item has the same properties of a ring of three wishes. When its last charge is used it becomes a nonmagical ruby worth 10,000 gp.

AftermathDestroying the Seed of The Omega keeps the Far Realms influences away from Faerûn – at least for a while. The small island of Korinn Archipelago reverts to its natural status, revealing other batrachi ruins that can be explored by PCs. If the “Renown” optional rule is used, accomplishing the mission grants 2 renown points among Harpers, Emerald Enclave and Lords’ Alliance factions.In case of PCs’ defeat, Distopia grows to full maturity and begins to transform Faerûn in a replica of the Far Realm, starting form the Sword Coast and North. Daggerford will be the first city to be destroyed, followed by another one (Waterdeep? Secomber?) every tenday or so until someone manages to stop the Great Old One.

Sam

ple

file

Page 5: • 2 - DMs Guild...Dungeon Masters Guild. Sample file Elminster’ ette 3 • eginnin nd • 3 • 2 • The power planT The amphibian creator race known as “batrachi” built this

Elminster’s Letters #3 • The Beginning of the End

• 6 •

Sam

ple

file