3rd Edition - Adventure - Return to Temple of Elemental Evil, Rpg, D&D 3ed

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Caves of ancient secrets
A Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Web Enhancement by Monte Cook
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
offers an epic
adventure that takes characters from 4th to 14th
levels.
Caves of Ancient Secrets
contains additional
encounters designed to be played with that adventure.
This small section of caverns, older than The Temple of
All-Consumption (see Part 2 of
Return to the Temple
) is
played during Chapter 5: The Crater Ridge Mines. It
climaxes in a meeting with the half-fiend aboleth who
took over the role of the Master from the current
Second of the Triad (see Chapter 6: The Inner and
Outer Fanes).
The bonus material in the
Caves of Ancient Secrets
web
enhancement adds to the background and theme of
the entire
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
adven-
ture. It’s exclusive to the Wizards of the Coast website:
www.wizards.com/dnd
.
BACKGROUND
One of the reasons Mount Stalagos was chosen as the
center of the Tharizdun cult years ago was because it was
so near an ancient colony of aboleths and their kuo-toan
allies—all servants of Tharizdun. The aboleths beneath
Stalagos are keepers of truly vile and dark secrets.
All the kuo-toas in the Crater Ridge mines know
about this area, as do any non-kuo-toan Water Priests
and the Triad. The Second of the Triad once lived here,
before the creation of the Temple of All-Consumption.
MAP KEY
About 50 feet from the beginning of the secret pas-
sage in Area 193 (see Chapter 5 of
Return to the Temple
),
there is a chamber with a 15-foot-diameter shaft going
down. This shaft leads to an area beneath Mount Stala-
gos—beneath the lake that bears the mountain’s
name—where a small but ancient enclave of aboleths
and their servants dwells.A map of these caves appears
on page 3.
This portion of the adventure assumes that the PCs find
some means to descend down the shaft (Climb DC 20).
1. The Plunge
Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
Additional Credits
“Effects of Water” Design:
Skip Williams
Editing and Web
Production: Sue Cook
Web Development:
Mark Jindra
Cartography: Todd Gamble
Graphic Design: Sean Glenn,
Cynthia Fliege
The shaft plunges down at least
300 feet. The sides are slick and the
air feels cool and damp. The walls of
the last 20 feet of the shaft are lined
with iron. The bottom of the shaft is
a metal grate, and level with the
grate, in the north portion of the
wall, stands an iron door.
These metal walls are carved with
disturbing images of fish and fish-
like humanoids torturing humans,
elves, dwarves, and halflings before
a misshapen, tentacled horror.
Based on the original D
UNGEONS
&
D
RAGONS
® game by E. Gary Gygax
and Dave Arneson and on the new
edition of the D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
game designed by Jonathan Tweet,
Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich
Baker, and Peter Adkison.
The door is not locked. Below the grate lies
a huge reservoir of water. When the lever at
the spot on the map marked ”A” is pulled,
water pressure increases below, pushing
water up the shaft to fully submerge it. This
allows the inhabitants of the areas down
here to swim up and down to the Crater
Ridge Mines when needed. Normally, how-
ever, the water level remains low to make it
difficult to get down to this level.
D&D, D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
, and D
UNGEON
M
ASTER
are registered trademarks owned by
Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All Wizards charac-
ters, character names, and the distinctive like-
nesses thereof are trademarks owned by
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
This material is protected under the copyright
laws of the United States of America. Any
reproduction or unauthorized use of the mate-
rial or artwork contained herein is prohibited
without the express written permission of
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity
to actual people, organizations, places, or
events is purely coincidental.
©2001 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights
reserved. Made in the U.S.A.
2. Guard Post (EL 7)
Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
This large cave smells of fish. The damp walls
are crusted with lime, forming strange, alien
shapes on the walls.
This cave is empty except for the guards stationed here.
Creatures. Six kuo-toas have been commanded to wait
here and attack any non-authorized creatures that enter
the complex.
1
Kuo-toas (6):
hp 9, 11, 15, 8, 10, 11; see
Monster
Manual
page 125.
Tactics.
These creatures throw spears, then dive into
close combat with a religious fervor. They believe they
are invincible here (since they’ve never faced defeat).
Development
. These guards come into Area 1 to
investigate the sounds of anyone moving around. If
they hear fighting elsewhere or cries
for help (in Kuo-Toa), they move to
assist.
5. Chamber of the Whip (EL 7)
There are two of these chambers. The description
below suits either one.
General Information
The caverns in this area are, for the
most part, natural and not a part of
the Crater Ridge Mines. In fact, the
dwarves that created the mines
never came here.
Unlike those above, the kuo-toas
and other creatures here do not
bear any symbols—even of the
Elder Elemental Eye. A few have
obex symbols of Tharizdun, but
those are mentioned specifically in
the various locations.
Remember to make Listen
checks for guards and other crea-
tures—to make this easy, however,
assume that they all roll a 0. The
whips in Area 5, for example, will
hear a fight in Area 4 since the
whips have Listen check bonuses of
+8, and the DC to hear a pitched
battle is –10 modified by +1 per 10
feet of distance, +5 per closed door
(for a final DC of 0)
All ceilings are about 15 feet high
unless otherwise noted, and doors
are stone (Hardness 8, 60 hp, Break
DC 28 if locked).
The inhabitants of Areas 1 to 22
know the layout of these areas and
the general floor plan of the whole
temple complex above (they know
there’s a lake in the middle of the
crater and three bridges that go out
to an island where the masters of
the place reside), and that’s about
it. The aboleths and 1 in 6 kuo-toas
know about Areas 177 and 197 of
the Crater Ridge Mines (the Water
Temple) in detail.
See “The Effects of Water” side-
bar on page 5 for important rules
that will come up as you play
through encounters in these sub-
merged caves.
This cold room is painted black with a thick
pitch. Even the ceiling and floor are black. A
purple mat of woven seaweed lies in the middle
of the floor, just big enough for a person to
kneel upon.
3. Empty Cave
Read or paraphrase the following:
These rooms remain virtually empty, for better medi-
tation upon the Dark God.
Creatures.
A whip meditates in each of these rooms.
If disturbed by the sounds of combat or alarm, they
come out to defend the shrine (Area 6). If disturbed by
the sound of the blowing horn, they come to escort the
worshippers.
Drapood and Jopaarg (whips):
Male kuo-toas Clr5;
CR 7; Medium-size monstrous humanoid (6 ft. tall);
HD 2d8+2 plus 5d8+5; hp 41 and 43; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.,
swim 50 ft.; AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 20; Atk +6
melee (1d10+1, pincer staff ), +1 melee (1d4, bite); SA
Pincer staff; SQ Insanity, slippery, adhesive, immuni-
ties, electricity resistance 30, light blindness, amphibi-
ous; AL NE; SV Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +8; Str 13, Dex 10,
Con 13, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 8.
Skills and Feats:
Concentration +6, Escape Artist +18*,
Heal +6, Knowledge (religion) +6, Listen +8, Move
Silently +3, Search +10*, Spellcraft +6, Spot +10*; Alert-
ness, Great Fortitude, Exotic Weapon (pincer staff ),
Scribe Scroll.
* An asterisk indicates a +15 racial bonus to Escape
Artist and +4 racial bonus to Spot and Search.
Insanity:
Adds +1 to DC of spells cast. –1 to all Wisdom
checks.
Pincer Staff (Ex):
A pincer staff deals 1d10 points of
bludgeoning damage, threatens a critical hit on a 20,
and deals double damage on a critical hit. It has a 10-
foot reach and cannot be used against an adjacent oppo-
nent. A wielder that hits an opponent of at least Small
but no greater than Large size attempts to start a grap-
ple as a free action without provoking an attack of
opportunity. If the wielder gets a hold, the staff grabs
the opponent and deals 1d10 points of damage each
round the hold is maintained.
Keen Sight (Ex):
Can spot a moving object or crea-
ture even if it is invisible, ethereal, or astral. Only by
remaining perfectly still can such objects or creatures
avoid notice.
A small, lime-filled pool lies in
the north portion of this cave,
next to a column of rock rising
from floor to ceiling.
4. Kuo-Toan Complex
Entrance (EL 8)
Read or paraphrase the following:
The walls and floor here are
smooth, worked stone. Each
stone has ancient images carved
upon it—grotesqueries of kuo-
toan depravity. A large conch-
shell horn rests on a wooden
stand next to the entrance from
the north.
Standard procedure is to pick up the
horn and blow it, announcing yourself
as one of the faithful.
There are peepholes from areas marked
4A, where guards are stationed. Finding
the secret doors to these areas requires a
Search check (DC 20).
Creatures.
Four kuo-toas wait in each
of the guard areas, one watching
through the peephole at all times. If they
see trouble, they come out through the
secret doors and attack.
Kuo-toas (4):
hp 11, 13, 10, 12; see
Monster Manual
p age 125.
Treasure:
The finely crafted conch-shell horn is
worth 120 gp.
2
3
Slippery (Ex):
Webs, magic or otherwise, don’t affect
kuo-toa, and they usually can wriggle free from most
other forms of confinement.
Adhesive (Ex):
Anyone who makes an
unsuccessful
melee attack against a kuo-toa must succeed at a Reflex
save (DC 14), or the attacker’s weapon sticks to the
shield and is yanked out of the wielder’s grip. Creatures
using natural weapons are automatically grappled if
they get stuck.
Immunities (Ex):
Kuo-toa are immune to poison and
paralysis. The various
hold
spells also have no effect on
them, and their keen sight automatically detects fig-
ments for what they are.
Light Blindness (Ex):
Abrupt exposure to bright
light (such as sunlight or a
daylight
spell) blinds kuo-toa
for 1 round. In addition, they suffer a –1 circumstance
penalty to all attack rolls, saves, and checks while oper-
ating in bright light.
Possessions (Drapood): wand of darkness
(48 charges)
,
scrolls of
magic vestment, wall of stone,
large shield,
pincer staff, 14 pp, obex symbol.
Possessions (Jopaarg): pearl of power (3rd level), potion of
invisibility,
large shield, pincer staff, 11 pp, obex symbol.
Spells Prepared (5/4+1/3+1/2+1):
0—
cure minor wounds,
detect magic, read magic, resistance
(2); 1st—
command
(2)
,
cure light wounds, obscuring mist*, protection from good
;
2nd—
bull’s strength, endurance, hold person, Tharizdun’s
touch*
; 3rd—
cure serious wounds, dispel magic
,
rage*.
*Domain Spells. Deity: Tharizdun. Domains: Madness
(Use Insanity penalty to Wisdom as a bonus to Wisdom
once per day); Water (turn or destroy fire creatures,
rebuke or command water creatures).
Tactics:
Drapood and Jopaarg fight best when they are
together. Both are usually encountered with
bull’s
strength
and
endurance
already in effect. Typically,
Drapood uses
rage
while Jopaarg offers support with
command
spells and healing after becoming
invisible
with his potion.
This entire area is unholy, as described in the spell
unhallow.
In addition to the
protection from good
effect,
and the –4 to turning undead attempts (+4 to rebuke
undead attempts), the
unhallow
continually grants all
evil beings an
aid
spell as cast by an 10th-level caster
while they remain in this room.
Any creature of good alignment that touches the black
energy suffers 10d6 points of damage (no save). Any
creature of good alignment that even enters this room
draws a pulse of the black energy that summons a
wraith from the darkness.
The kuo-toa treat the blackness as an altar of sorts,
praying to the Dark God through it. It is a direct exten-
sion of his power.
Creatures.
These wraiths attack good creatures
immediately.
Wraiths (varies):
hp 82; see
Monster Manual
page 185.
7. Common Pool.
Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
This chamber is filled with a fairly shallow
pool 30 feet long and 25 feet wide. A narrow
ledge on either side connects the east and west
halves of the room.
The pool measures 4 feet deep. This is where the kuo-
toa congregate when not on duty.
8. Monitor’s Quarters (EL 10)
Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
A 6-foot-long, 3-foot-wide, 3-foot-high
wooden basin filled with water occupies the
center of this spartan room. Long strands of
seashells entwined in string dangle from the
ceiling throughout the chamber.
6. Shrine (EL varies)
Read or paraphrase the following aloud:
This chamber belongs to the leader of the complex.
Vuoor sleeps in the basin.
Creatures.
Vuoor the monitor and his shield guard-
ian are here. The shield guardian (a gift from the Inner
Fane long ago to win the favor of these creatures) is
made from stone, coral and fishbones as well as iron. It
has a
fireball
spell (cast at 10th level) stored within it,
which it casts if ever Vuoor is killed.
Shield guardian:
hp 82; see
Monster Manual
page 163.
This large area is cold. The walls are black and
carved in an elaborate relief that gives the
impression of writhing tentacles or snakes (or
both). The floor is covered in a woven mat of
dried, purple seaweed that is occasionally
stained with reddish-brown splotches. Hover-
ing in the air, a nimbus of black energy 10 feet
across fluctuates menacingly.
4
The Effects of Water
Land-based creatures can have considerable difficulty when trying to fight in the water. Water affects a creature’s attacks rolls, dam-
age, Armor Class, and Movement. In some cases, a creature’s opponents may get a bonus to attack the creature. The effects are
summarized below:
Combat Adjustments for Water
Condition
1
Slash or Bludgeon Att./Dmg.
Claw or Att./Dmg.
Move Tail
Off Balance?
Freedom of movement effect
Normal
Normal
Normal
No
Swim speed
–2/Half
Normal
Normal
No
Successful Swim check
–2/Half
3
–2/Half
Quarter or half
2
No
Firm Footing
4
–2/Half
–2/Half
Half
No
None of the above
–2/Half
–2/Half
Normal
Yes
5
Footnotes
1. Water modifiers apply when wading in water at least waist deep, swimming, or walking along the bottom.
2. The speeds listed are standard for the Swim skill (you can move one quarter your speed as a move-equivalent action or one-
half your speed as a full-round action. To avoid the off-balance penalty (see note 5), you must succeed at a Swim check (DC
5+ the DC for the water). The effects of a successful check last until your next turn. Making the Swim check is a move-equiv-
alent action.
3. Creatures without free action effects or swim speeds make grapple checks underwater at a –2 penalty, but they inflict dam-
age normally when grappling.
4. Creatures have firm footing when walking along the bottom, braced against a wall, or the like. You can walk along the bottom
only if you carry enough to weigh you down. The amount of weight required depends on your size, as follows: Fine 1 lb;
Diminutive 2 lb; Tiny 4 lb.; Small 8 lb.; Medium-16 lb.; Large 32 lb.; Huge 64 lb.; Gargantuan 128 lb.; Colossal 256 lb. The
items you carry to weigh yourself down must be non-bulky and non-buoyant.
5. Off-balance creatures lose Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class and give opponents a +2 attack bonus against them.
Fire:
Non-magical fire (including alchemist’s fire) does not burn underwater. Spells or spell-like effects with the fire descriptor
are ineffective underwater unless the caster makes a successful Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If successful, the spell cre-
ates a bubble of steam instead of its usual fiery effect. Supernatural fire effects are ineffective underwater unless their descriptions
state otherwise.
The surface of a body of water blocks line of effect for any fire spell. If the caster has made a Spellcraft check to make the fire
spell useful underwater, the surface also blocks the spell’s line of effect. For example, a
fireball
cast underwater cannot be target-
ed at creatures above the surface, nor can an underwater fireball spread above the surface.
Attacks from Land:
Characters swimming, floating, or treading water on the surface, or wading in water at least chest deep, have
one-quarter cover against melee or ranged attacks form landbound opponents. Landbound opponents who have
freedom of move-
ment
effects ignore this cover when making melee attacks. A completely submerged creature has one-half cover against landbound
opponents unless those opponents have a
freedom of movement
effect. Magical effects remain unchanged, except for fire effects
and effects that require attack rolls; these are treated like any other effects.
Ranged Attacks Underwater:
Thrown weapons are ineffective underwater, even when launched from land. Other ranged weap-
ons suffer a –2 attack penalty for each 5 feet of water they pass through, in addition to the normal penalties for range.
Underwater Visibility:
Submerged or swimming creatures may also again concealment from the water, depending on how clear
it is. Even perfectly clear water obscures vision, including darkvision, beyond 200 feet. All creatures have one-quarter concealment
at 50 feet (10% miss chance), one-half concealment at 100 feet (20% miss chance), three-quarters concealment at 150 feet (30%
miss chance), and nine-tenths concealment at 200 feet (40% miss chance). Beyond 200 feet, creatures have total concealment
(50% miss chance), and opponents cannot use sight to locate the creature.
Murkier water allows less sighting distance, and creatures become completely concealed more quickly. The maximum sighting
distance in murky water is 100 feet. At half the listed distance, creatures have one-half concealment; at the listed distance crea-
tures have nine-tenths concealment; and they have total concealment beyond the listed distance. For example, if murky water
allows vision to 40 feet, creatures have one-half concealment at 20 feet, nine-tenths concealment at 40 feet, and total concealment
beyond 40 feet. Water can be so murky that it allows vision to 5 feet or 0 feet. Aquatic creatures can see twice as far through the
water as other creatures (but twice 0 feet is still 0 feet).
Invisible creatures displace water and leave a visible bubble, though such creatures still have half concealment (20% miss
chance).
Holding Your Breath:
Any character can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to twice his Constitution score. After this
period of time, the character must make a Constitution check (DC 10) every round in order to continue holding his breath. Each
round, the DC increases by 1. When the character finally fails his Constitution check, he begins to drown. In the first round, he
falls unconscious (0 hp). In the following round, he drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, he drowns.
Vigorous activity, such as fighting, strains the character, reducing the time a character can hold his breath to a number of rounds
equal to twice his Constitution score.
—Skip Williams
5
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