Map-a-Week
We interrupt our walkthrough of the 3rd edition Dungeon Master's Guide to bring you this important message. Okay, it's just another map, this one of more ruins. And this one looks a lot more connectable than the previous ruins and castle map. This one is called Ruins 2. The tag suggests it could be dwarven ruins or the home of drow. Well, it's neither of those in the Tasiri campaign setting. Instead, these are the Cursed Catacombs.
Since I just finished Chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, which discusses how to randomly stock a dungeon, guess what? I'm going to randomly stock this dungeon. I'm going to use the random tables for doors and for room contents. And I'm going to make this dungeon three separate levels for encounter purposes; the first part will be a 5th-level dungeon, the second part a 6th-level, and the third a 7th-level dungeon. I'll link the three together into one extensive network that can be further expanded at a later time if necessary.
Alright, here we go. The party will enter the catacombs via the northeastern entrance leading into room 3 on the first level.
First Level:
1. This was once a prison, though it is greatly damaged now. This room contains nine intact cells and three damaged ones. In the second cell in the first row is a small whetstone; the cell closest to the door to Room 5 contains markings that read, DEWASH WAS HERE along with several hundred tally marks adorning all four walls. In the middle damaged cell is an empty bone scroll case with the lid lying in the rubble corner.
2. Upon entering this room, the party will see a tall statue of a long-forgotten king straddling a pool of brackish water. The room is somewhat slanted, with a hinged floor just south of the door. Anyone stepping in front of the staircase will trigger the floor, which will suddenly drop the character(s) onto the staircase, which will then flatten into a chute that will deposit the character(s) into Room 4.
3. This room is empty of everything except dust and ticks. The door to room 2 is made of good wood and is free; the southern door to room 6 is strong wood, and slides open rather than swinging. It is also trapped with an alarm spell that will alert all creatures from rooms 1-6.
4. This is a dead-end pit occupied by three violet fungi which will immediately attempt to consume any living (or dead) creature that tumbles into the pit. The sound of footsteps can be heard in the pit, although their source is completely undetectable. There is a fourth fungi in this room that was killed by a previous victim; it is edible, although not very tasty.
3 Violet Fungi: 15 hp each.
5. The door to this room is iron, and locked (DC 28). Inside are several creatures: A ghast and 3 ghouls, all of which are ravenously hungry and will immediately attack anything that opens the door to their prison. Lying around the room are several ropes, all of which have been ravaged by the inhabitants and are not usable for any task. The ghouls have a total of 500 gp scattered around the room; the ghast carries a long-forgotten violet garnet worth 800 gp.
Ghast: 26 hp.
3 Ghouls: 13 hp.
6. This room was once a captain's bedchamber, and still holds a few pieces of furniture. The bed is damaged and no blankets remain; there is an empty weapon rack and a brazier on the floor beside the bed; the brazier has been knocked over. In a recess in the wall is a small token. If the token is touched, it will instantly transform into an average salamander, which will attack on sight. The salamander is wielding a longspear and a large shield, which is a +1 bashing large steel shield (making its AC 20). Inside the brazier is a wand of burning hands with 24 charges remaining.
Salamander: 38 hp.
7. This extensive cavern was formed after a collapse that destroyed part of the complex. The footing is treacherous throughout, and the entire area is rough and slanted. In the western portion is the lair of a ghast and a pair of ghouls. Their nest has 600 gp, an azurite worth 9 gp, an arcane scroll with locate object, see invisibility, and detect thoughts, as well as a Heward's handy haversack. On the north cavern wall a strange symbol has been carved. It resembles a symbol of Hextor but with only two arrows.
8. The floor leading to this door ascends back to the same level as the northern rooms. The door is good wood, and is stuck (DC 18 to open). Inside are two shadows that will wait to attack until the party is distracted by searching the room. The room also contains an altar to a forgotten god. Beneath the altar is a well that holds clean, fresh water, though there is no bucket or any visible means of getting at the water. Hidden in a secret compartment in the altar are 700 gp, a golden pearl worth 70 gp, and a divine scroll bearing a summon monster I spell.
2 Shadows: 19 hp.
The southern door leads to a corridor that eventually turns west and leads to the second section of the dungeon.
9. This cavern is dry and dusty; there are cobwebs everywhere, but no spiders or other monsters. There are also claw marks on the wall, made by the ghouls from the cave at 7.
10. This cave contains a human chained to the wall by a silver neck ring. The ring is lined with leather. The figure is gaunt, but his eyes burn with hatred. He does not remember how long he has been here; food appears on occasion, but only enough to keep him alive. If he is freed, he will thank his rescuers and explain that he was captured by a strange wizard and imprisoned here. He knows about the ghast in cave 7, which has learned to leave him alone. He will help the party if asked, although he will ask to be fed first. If he is attacked for some reason, he will transform into a weretiger and defend himself.
Weretiger: 25 hp (45 is maximum).
11. The cavern leading to this room slants upward; the floor is still uneven and treacherous, but it can be crossed. In this circular room is a mound of rubble, created from the collapsed wall on the western side of the room. The center of the room is sunken, and the ceiling is a beautiful mosaic of a battle between the gods Heironeous and Hextor; the western part of the mosaic is destroyed, leaving Heironeous only partly there. If the party remains in this room for more than ten minutes, a phase spider will appear and attack. In the rubble is a small chest, which contains 400 gp.
Phase Spider: 42 hp.
12. The door to this room is good wood, and it is free. Inside are a pair of sarcophagi bearing the markings of great kings. Inside of each sarcophagus, however, is a wight that will attack anyone who opens their tomb. One of the wights wields a +2 shortsword, the other a +1 heavy mace. Inside one sarcophagus is a pouch containing 200 gp; the other holds a scroll case with an arcane scroll of feather fall within.
2 Wights: 26 hp each.
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Alright, that will do for tonight; that's the first part of this dungeon stocked. Believe it or not, I didn't intend to make it a hub for undead creatures; that is just how the dice landed. I hope to continue stocking this dungeon, but running through the rest of the DMG will take up a fair amount of time. Still, we can always hope...
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