# Cooperative Dungeon IV: Update



## Trainz (May 22, 2004)

Here we go for a fourth Cooperative Dungeon:



> Be advised that by adding content to this thread germane to the project, your content might be used (in whole or in part) in an upcoming 'Collective Dungeon' release. You will be given credit for your work, for which we will need your actual name * since we will have express your copyright over the material you provide. Be assured that the project is meant as a community activity with the intention to distribute it freely, though we (or other publishers) may also contact you in regards to your copywritten material for subsequent approval of other publication. Some of your material, by virtue of being current or derivative OGC, may also be used under the terms of the OGL.
> 
> 
> * Write your real name beside the room name of your entry. No anonymous contributions will be accepted.



Tomb of Chaos CD4

The dungeon map was made using Interactive Dungeon (http://www.geocities.com/trainz_ca/ID). I propose to all put our dungeon designing minds together and create this dungeon together. Everyone that feels like it can take a dungeon room number and design it. Unlike previous cooperative dungeons, there is some basic plot here: gnolls have found the location of a lost tomb in which is rumored to be an object of power. They are digging, but haven't penetrated the inner tomb yet. Here are the guidelines:

- This adventure is split in two: the gnoll controlled sector, and the hidden tomb, populated by aberrations and other critters. 
- Only the core 3.5 rules can be used. Only the Monster Manual. The monsters must be in the SRD (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/home.html)
- Make sure you write the monsters in STAT BLOCK format.
- The dungeon is a level 3 adventure.
- The scale is 1 square = 5 feet
- The final room is room 21, in which is the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy), a Babau demon named Chaos.
- If you reserve a room, you have 1 day to post the description, after which the room will become available again.
- The main pieces of furniture that are used are: Small table, Large table, Wall torch, Columns (large and small), altars (large and small), crates, cupboards, chairs, barrels, chests, bed (small and large), monolith, coffin, bookcase, statues, well (or pool), small pedestal, bag, pile of coins. Look at the following picture to know what a certain feature on the map illustrates:







It is very important to follow the following format in your description. Doing otherwise will make editing harder. Also make sure there are no spelling errors by using a spell-checker.

Room # - Room Name (created by)
Door: Direction Type Un/locked (unlock DC) Break DC . Hardness, Hit points Trap/Trigger
Room: Description of room as if the characters first stepped foot in it. Put this part in quote tags, such as {quote} _room description_ {/quote}, but replace the { } with [ ].
Traps : Stat block of trap
Features : Actually anything part of the room. An altar, Dais, Murals, Columns etc. Also any spells in effect in the room.
Encounter : Conditions (What are they doing, why will they be here), Stats , Tactics
Other Features : Contents of room such as chest, Shelves, Cabinets etc.
Notes : Anything left over, (history of the room etc)

Previous Cooperative Dungeon threads:

CD1: Terror and Blasphemy
CD2: Halls of Anarchy
CD3: Crypt of Damnation

For guidance, use the exact same format as room number 1 in the next post.






1. Outside the tomb (René Mongrain "Trainz")
2. Entry Hall of the Jackal (Shannon Troester "Thullgrim")
3. Shrine to Hrauk (Shannon Troester "Thullgrim")
4. The Gnoll Barracks (Brian Thompson "Elephant")
5. The small bedroom (Tim Challener "Slife")
6. Elite Gnoll Barracks (Brian Thompson "Elephant")
7. Funerary Preparations Room (Chad Barr "Wycen")
8. Crypt of the Exalted Ones (H. R. McGlone “Phineas Crow”)
9. Hall of Final Justice (Connor Sites-Bowen)
10. Storage Room (Kris Hulsen "The Forsaken One")
11. Tomb of the Magi (Alexander P. Y. Fitzhugh "fnork de sporg")
12. Toth Nekamek's Library (Daryl Gubler "ikazuchi")
13. Chronicles of Toth Nekamek (Craig Stone "Ferret")
14. The gnoll tunnel disaster (Lance Hewett "Tallfellow")
15. Atrium of the Royal Steed (Ben Buckner "tarchon")
16. The Crypt of Aris (Ben Tiefenback "John Q. Mayhem")
17. A sinner’s tomb (Kris Hulsen "The Forsaken One")
18. Warped Burial Chamber (Chris Cumming "Erekose13")
19. The Hall of Celebrants (Adrienne Traxler "Adrienne")
20. Yinepu's Vigil (Patrik D'haeseleer "Conaill")
21. Burial Chamber of Toth Nekamek (H. R. McGlone "Phineas Crow")


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## Trainz (May 22, 2004)

*Room 1 - Outside the tomb* (René Mongrain "Trainz")

*Door:* A huge stone double door that is unlocked but very heavy. It requires a DC 15 strength check to open (Strength DC 15; Hardness 8; hp 120) 



> You stand in front of a magnificent stone structure that protrudes from the mountain side. It is decorated with relief sculptures of half-men half-animal creatures. To the left and right of the doors are 14 feet tall stone statues of naked men with jackal heads. To your right, you see a pile of rock and dirt debris. You hear birds chirping from the trees north of you.



*Features :* The two huge jackal statue's eyes and reliefs sculptures are gems, lapis lazuli worth 10 g.p. each (26 in all). They are 10 feet or more above ground, so are not readily reachable. Climbing the facade and stone statues is a DC 20 climb check. Standing from the ground, it is hard to see that there are gems in the sculptures and statues eyes (spot check DC 16) but close examination (if climbing) will make them very obvious.

The dirt and rocks comes from the gnoll's excavations inside. If the characters take time to collect the lapis lazuli, there is a 1 in 20 chance after each gem retrieved that two gnolls come out with dirt bags. 

*Encounter : (EL 3)* In the four trees south of the characters, there are two gnolls hiding in the branches 10 feet above ground with their bows ready (hide check roll 16, 20% concealment). They attack as soon as the characters are within 15 feet of the tomb. They can easily drop to the ground if needed via low branches (they have practiced the maneuver on those specific trees).

Gnoll (2): CR 1; LA +1; Medium humanoid; HD 2d8+2; hp 11; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk Battleaxe +3 melee (1d8+2/x3) or shortbow +1 ranged (1d6/x3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA —; SQ darkvision 60 ft.; AL (Usually) CE; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8.
Languages: Gnoll 
Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spot +3; Power Attack. 
Possessions: battleaxe, leather armor, heavy steel shield, shortbow, arrows (40). 
Description/Combat: Gnolls are hyena–headed, evil humanoids that wander in loose tribes. Most gnolls have dirty yellow or reddish–brown fur. A gnoll is a nocturnal carnivore, preferring intelligent creatures for food because they scream more. A gnoll is about 7–1/2 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds. 
Gnolls like to attack when they have the advantage of numbers, using horde tactics and their physical strength to overwhelm and knock down their opponents. They show little discipline when fighting unless they have a strong leader; at such times, they can maintain ranks and fight as a unit. While they do not usually prepare traps, they do use ambushes and try to attack from a flanking position. Because of its shield, a gnoll’s modifier on Hide checks (untrained) is –2, which means gnolls always take special care to seek favorable conditions when laying ambushes (such as darkness, cover, or some other form of advantageous terrain).

*Notes :* This tomb was once the final resting place of a great king, Toth Nekamek. It is now inhabited by aberrations, demons, and all sorts of fiendish creatures.


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## Asmo (May 22, 2004)

"To the left and right of the doors are 14 feet tall stone statues of naked men with chacal heads."

Is this supposed to be jackal heads or what?

Asmo


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## Phineas Crow (May 22, 2004)

Can you attach the map to the thread? the server you have the map on is timing out on me.


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## Trainz (May 22, 2004)

Asmo said:
			
		

> "To the left and right of the doors are 14 feet tall stone statues of naked men with chacal heads."
> 
> Is this supposed to be jackal heads or what?
> 
> Asmo



Got it thanks ! In french, it's chacal, and my spell checker is bilingual and didn't catch that.

Phineas, the map is now attached.


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## Phineas Crow (May 22, 2004)

*Room 8: Crypt of the Exalted Ones* (H. R. McGlone “Phineas Crow”)

*Door*: The stone door (Hardness 8; hp 45) to this room is unlocked and its surface is covered with a full sized bas-relief of a solemn looking man carrying the body of another man in his arms. 



> Within this dusty room, on daises of polished red granite are seven large iron caskets. The sides of the caskets are lined with engraved panels depicting scenes of various battles and the heavy iron lids feature a bas-relief of a humanoid with the heads of various animals. Above the caskets are small stone shelves lined with ceramic jars, most of which are broken. The eastern wall is dominated by a large fading mural of a crocodile thrashing in the water at a river’s edge. Opposite of the mural, a small alcove is set within the middle of the western wall which holds a sitting stone idol of a jackal-headed man which casts light from twin flames held in stone bowls in each of its hands. Standing in the northeast corner, holding and examining one of the ceramic jars, is a gnoll.




*Features*: The jackal-headed idol is magical and radiates a faint aura of enchantment if detected. The flames are from _continual flame_ spells which are tied to the small stone bowls held by the idol, these bowls are not fixed to the idol and can taken off the idol and used as sources of light. Once per day the statue can grant the _bless_ spell (caster level 3rd) on anyone that speaks the command word within sight of the idol.

In the alcove, behind the idol, is a secret panel (DC 20). The panel slides open to reveal a stone dial with a small depression in its center, carved along the dial's outer edge in a circle are symbols depicting the different phases of the moon. If Eregash’s moonstone is inserted into the dial and the dial is turned counter-clockwise all seven iron caskets unlock with a loud clunk. Eregash does not know about this panel, he found the moonstone in another part of the tomb, keeping it because its pretty. 

_Iron caskets_: Each of the seven iron caskets is locked (Hardness 10; hp 100; Break DC 28; Open Lock DC 25).

*Casket 1*: The lid has a bas-relief of a hippo-headed humanoid with a cartouche of hieroglyphics at its feet. (A decipher script DC 30 check reveals the cartouche translates into “Tesher Nehes”)
Contents: Mummified corpse, red crystal rod inscribed with the word “Tesher”.

*Casket 2*: The lid has a bas-relief of a scarab-headed humanoid with a cartouche of hieroglyphics at its feet. (A decipher script DC 30 check reveals the cartouche translates into “Khesbetti Mekharr”)
Contents: Mummified corpse, Masterwork longsword, blue crystal rod inscribed with the word “Khesbetti”.

*Casket 3*: The lid has a bas-relief of a ibis-headed humanoid with a cartouche of hieroglyphics at its feet. (A decipher script DC 30 check reveals the cartouche translates into “Sesh Tekhen”)
Contents: Mummified corpse, several dried flowers, white crystal rod inscribed with the word “Sesh”.

*Casket 4*: The lid has a bas-relief of a crocodile-headed humanoid with a cartouche of hieroglyphics at its feet. (A decipher script DC 30 check reveals the cartouche translates into “Uarkh Afa”)
Contents: 200 sp, green crystal rod inscribed with the word “Uarkh”.

*Casket 5*: The lid has a bas-relief of a cat-headed humanoid with a cartouche of hieroglyphics at its feet. (A decipher script DC 30 check reveals the cartouche translates into “Ksantha Ama”)
Contents: Mummified corpse, Six bolts of frost, yellow crystal rod inscribed with the word “Ksantha” .

*Casket 6*: The lid has a bas-relief of a ram-headed humanoid with a cartouche of hieroglyphics at its feet. (A decipher script DC 30 check reveals the cartouche translates into “Tekhit Sera”)
Contents: Mummified corpse, purple crystal rod inscribed with the word “Tekhit”.

*Casket 7*: The lid has a bas-relief of an asp-headed humanoid with a cartouche of hieroglyphics at its feet. (A decipher script DC 30 check reveals the cartouche translates into “Uatch Hefau”)
Contents: Mummified corpse, 3 cp, orange crystal rod inscribed with the word “Uatch“.

*Crystal Rods*: Each of the seven rods is a crystalline shaft 1 inch in diameter and 2 feet in length. One end of is capped with an iron band that has a word inscribed on it. The crystal rods are magical in origin and still radiate a faint aura of transmutation magic from the spells used to create them. If sold each rod can fetch about 50 gp on the open market.


*Encounter (EL 4)*: Eregash, the gnoll is currently searching the room for valuables and for a way deeper into the tomb. Unfortunately he hasn’t had much luck so far, not long ago his two assistants smashed open several of the canopic jars that rest on the shelves and succumbed to the poisonous gas contained within the jars. The assistants have since regained consciousness and have been reassigned to guarding the entrance.

*Tactics*: Eregash’s first instinct is to toss the poison-filled canopic jar (see below) that he is holding at any intruders. He will then pepper them with arrows and use his summon monster I spell to summon a small fiendish monstrous spider. He can also activate the stone idol from anywhere in the room as a standard action to gain the benefits of its _bless_ spell. He will try to keep PCs from getting too close and out of range of his glaive. If things start to go badly, or he becomes surrounded, Eregash will smash any canopic jars within reach, even if it means he will be within the poisonous cloud.

Eregash, male Gnoll Rgr 1/Clr 2: CR 4; Medium humanoid; HD 2d8+2 (gnoll) plus 1d8+1 (rgr) plus 2d8+2 (clr); hp 27; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +3 studded leather armor), touch 12, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +3; Grp +6; Atk Glaive +6 melee (1d10+4/x3) or composite longbow (+3 Str bonus) +6 ranged (1d8+3/x3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./10 ft.; SA rebuke undead 3/day; SQ darkvision 60 ft., favored enemy (elves +2), wild empathy; AL CE; SV Fort +9, Ref +4, Will +5; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 11.
*Languages*: Gnoll
*Skills and Feats*: Concentration +3, Handle Animal +1, Listen +5,  Spot +4, Survival +5; Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Track, Weapon FocusB (longbow)
*Possessions*: Composite longbow, studded leather armor, arrows x24, glaive, moonstone (50 gp), iron scarab figurine

Cleric Spells Prepared: (4/3; save DC 12 + spell level): 0- _detect magic_, _read magic_, _resistance_, _virtue_; 1st- _bane_, _cure light wounds_, _magic weapon_*, _summon monster I_.
*_Domain spell. Domains_: Chaos (cast chaos spells at +1 caster level), War (free Weapon Focus feat). 

*Iron Scarab figurine*: A tiny scarab beetle fashioned from iron with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Mekharr” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.



Summoned fiendish monstrous spider, small: CR 1/2; Small Magical Beast (Extraplanar); HD 1d8; hp 4; Init +3; Spd 30 ft., climb 20 ft.; AC 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 11; Base Atk +0; Grp -6; Atk Bite +4 melee (1d4-2 plus poison); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA poison, smite good, web; SQ darkvision 60 ft., resistance to cold 5 and fire 5, tremorsense 60 ft.; SR 6; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +0; Str 7, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 3, Wis 10, Cha 2.
*Skills and Feats*: Climb +11, Hide +11, Spot +4; Weapon FinesseB

*Poison (Ex)*: Injury, Fortitude DC 10, initial and secondary damage 1d3 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.

*Smite Good (Su)*: Once per day the creature can make a normal melee attack to deal +1 extra damage  against a good foe.

*Web (Ex)*: Eight times per day, the spider can throw a web. This is similar to an attack with a net but has a maximum range of 50 feet, with a range increment of 10 feet, and is effective against targets up to one size category larger than the spider.

As a standard action, an entangled creature can escape with a successful Escape Artist check (DC 10) or burst it with a Strength check (DC 14). The check DCs are Constitution-based, and the Strength check DC includes a +4 racial bonus. 


*Other Features*: Besides the jar held by Eregash there are 5 intact canopic jars scattered about the room’s shelves.

Each jar is stoppered and sealed with wax. These highly decorated containers hold the mummified organs of those buried in this room and have been filled with poisonous gas to hinder those who dare defile the dead.

The canopic jars can be used as ad-hoc grenade-like weapons. Treat this attack as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet. Since you don’t need to hit a specific target, you can simply aim at a particular 5-foot square. Treat the target square as AC 5.

Poison: Inhaled, Fortitude DC 15, initial and secondary damage 1d4 Str. 

When broken, the gas spreads into a 10 foot cube and anyone within the cloud must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 15) or become poisoned. The cloud only lasts 1 round before dissipating. Intact, each Canopic Jar is worth 25 gp to a collector of art.

*Notes*: This room holds the remains of the seven commanders of the seven armies of the great king Toth Nekamek, each of the dead generals have been entrusted to guard the key rods that are needed to access Toth's burial chamber and great care was taken to make sure the dead here are not disturbed.

*Ad Hoc XP Adjustment*: Award the PCs an XP bonus worth the same amount as if the PCs defeated a CR 2 creature if they open the caskets by using the hidden dial.


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## Trainz (May 22, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I'll take room 8.



She's all yours.

Guys, when you post to reserve a room, I will not reply to say that you have it, instead I will update the room distribution in the first post with your reservation will all relevant info (room no., name, date reserved).


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## ConnorSB (May 22, 2004)

Room 9 - Hall of Final Justice (Created by Connor Sites-Bowen)

*Door:* The door to this room is stone. It does not lock, but age has caused it to become stuck. It requires a strength check DC 20 to open, and has a hardness of 8 and 60 hp. Carved into the door is a bas relief of a well dressed, jackal-headed man sitting on a great stone chair. More chairs flank the man, with more jackal-headed dignitaries sitting upon them. A DC 10 smudges and claw marks from gnoll attempts to open the door.

*Room:*


> _Layers of dust coat this relatively empty room- the movements of your feet kick up little swirls of it. The air here is slightly staler than in the rest of the complex, and smells of rot. The source of this stench is obvious- seven crumbling wooden chairs line three of the four walls- two on either side and three on the longer wall, which is across from the one you entered from. Upon each chair rests a single item, each beautifully crafted and shining despite the dust._




*Features: * This room was built as part of the religious procedures associated with Toth Nekamek’s realm. It was believed that after death, the king would be judged by his god (NOTE: Insert whatever OGC god thing we come up with to replace Yeno-whatever) and his god’s advisors. In order for this metaphysical trial to take place, the king would, of course, need a physical place within his tomb, one befitting a king. 

The gnolls have yet to enter this room, and so it remains relatively intact.

Each chair and corresponding item represents someone who would take part in this metaphysical trial. Numbered from north-east-south, each chair holds an item as follows:

*1. Clasp*- representing Terrahefad (anagram of  “fear hatred”), a lesser advisor of Chakal, this iron clasp is shaped like a wolf’s head. Depressing the mouth opens the clasp, the head splitting vertically. This clasp is not magical. Value- 20gp.

*2. Cloak*- This cloak dangles almost seems to crush the rotting chair it rests upon. Upon closer inspection, one can discern that it is made of thick iron rings, and must weigh at least twenty pounds. Meant to be purely ornamental (and so old and rusted it would be useless as armor), this cloak is the token of Trayedabrug (anagram of “betray guard”), Chakal’s head guard in his macabre palace. Worth- 5 gp.

*3. Cutlass*- representing Cerefeabark (anagram of “face breaker”), Chakal’s demonic majordomo, this masterwork cutlass was specially forged and treated so a pattern of blood red waves crest across its length. This special forging technique has been long since lost, and so this sword is especially valuable to any collector. Value- 450 gp.

_Trap:_ Disturbing the cutlass causes a weight sensitive trap to go off, dropping multiple bricks from the ceiling onto the chair and anything else in both the chair’s square, and the one immediately west of it.
Bricks from Ceiling: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; repair reset; Atk +12 melee (2d6, bricks); multiple targets (all targets in two abovementioned squares); Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 20.

*4. Crown*- This is a replica of Chakel’s crown- a circular band of silver. The front is shaped to be the upper jaw and ears of a jackal, and dark bat wings curve around, joining at the back to complete the circle. The crown is not magical, but radiates faint evil.   Value- 300 gp.

*5. Crossbow*- Once wood, this ornamented crossbow is quite rotted. Picking through the pieces will reveal any manner of small insects, as well as 3 lapis lazuli stones worth 10 gp. Value- 30 gp.

*6. Coin*- These silver coins are flecked with lapis lazuli, giving them a blue sparkle. They seem to have been individually carved, and are each far too thick to be used as real currency. They honor Drohare (anagram of “hoarder”), who counts both coins and souls for her master, Chakal. Each is stamped with stylized wings on one side, and a leering jackal head on the other.
_Trap:_ These coins are in fact a living construct built to guard the room’s contents. If any of the coins are touched, the construct animates, taking one round to meld from coins into small, winged jackal heads. Treat this latter form as a Bat Swarm, CR 2. When the swarm dies, it reverts to coin form. Each coin is worth slightly more than a silver piece- 3 sp each, and there are approximately 200 coins- 60 gp worth in all.

BAT SWARM
 	Diminutive Animal (Swarm)
Hit Dice:	3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative:	+2
Speed:	5 ft. (1 square), fly 40 ft. (good)
Armor Class:	16 (+4 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple:	+2/—
Attack:	Swarm (1d6)
Full Attack:	Swarm (1d6)
Space/Reach:	10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks:	Distraction, wounding
Special Qualities:	Blindsense 20 ft., half damage from slashing and piercing, low-light vision, swarm traits
Saves:	Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities:	Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4
Skills:	Listen +11, Spot +11
Feats:	Alertness, Lightning Reflexes
Environment:	Temperate deserts
Organization:	Solitary, flight (2–4 swarms), or colony (11–20 swarms)
Challenge Rating:	2
Treasure:	None
Alignment:	Always neutral
Advancement:	None
Level Adjustment:	—
A bat swarm is nocturnal, and is never found aboveground in daylight.
Combat
A bat swarm seeks to surround and attack any warm-blooded prey it encounters. The swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a bat swarm continues to bleed, losing 1 hit point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 10 Heal check or the application of a cure spell or some other healing magic.
Blindsense (Ex): A bat swarm notices and locates creatures within 20 feet. Opponents still have total concealment against the bat swarm (but swarm attacks ignore concealment). 
Skills: A bat swarm has a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. These bonuses are lost if its blindsense is negated. 

*7. Candle*- This candle, if sniffed, smells foul. A symbol of Mewsallyl (anagram of "smelly law"), the fetid lawgiver Chackal keeps in his court, this candle, if lit, produces a puff of sordid, choking smoke that, if inhaled by the lighter of the candle, curses him, as the spell bestow curse. A fortitude save (DC 18) or a reflex save (DC 15) is needed to either avoid inhaling the smoke, or avoid the cloud altogether. Treat the curse as having a caster level of 8.

*Encounter:* The brick trap, and the coins that turn into a bat swarm, as well as the cursed candle bring this rooms EL to 4.

*Notes:* I’m not quite sure if Chakal is supposed to be the god of the old king, Toth, or a replacement for Yeno-whatever, the current Gnoll god. Are they one and the same?


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## Slife (May 22, 2004)

I'm kind of new to the designing business, so I'll just start with room 5.


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## Trainz (May 22, 2004)

Slife said:
			
		

> I'm kind of new to the designing business, so I'll just start with room 5.



I highly recommend that you go browse previous CDx's threads to get an idea of how to do it.

They are linked in the first post of this thread.

Welcome aboard !


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## tarchon (May 23, 2004)

*Room 15 - Atrium of the Royal Steed*  (Ben Buckner "tarchon")

*Door:* This gilded ebony door (value 300 GP) has no lock and is designed to slide upward into the ceiling.  The door weighs approximately 200 pounds and is only 4 1/2 ft. (1.5 m) tall (designed to require M sized creatures bow when entering).  A pair of shafts jut 1/2 ft. out from the door near its top, and two 5-ft.-high slots rise into the wall above the door over them.  These function as tracks, with the intention that servants would lift the door from either side while more important personages would bow and enter.  The awkward mechanism doesn't work very smoothly and requires a full DC 20 strength check to lift and a DC 15 check in every subsequent round to hold it up (unless propped).  However, two individuals can cooperate on it easily by holding the shafts from the left and right while a third can help lift from the middle.  (Hardness 6; hp 40)


> Four colonnades stretch into the far reaches of this gloomy stone chamber, holding up a flat ceiling that reaches close to 10 ft. in height.  Immediately obvious between the two central colonnades is what appears to be the standing skeleton of a tall horse, facing away from the entrance.  The bones however - if that's what they are - betray a strange silvery sheen with hints of amber, as if they were cast in metal.  Some type of gear, possibly tack, hangs on hooks from the columns on both sides of the uncanny equine.
> The columns are smooth and round, apparently carved from the surrounding rock, though their bases and capitals are octagonal.
> Long-burnt-out oil lamps hang from the ceiling at intervals, and the dusty floor seems to be littered with flakes of dried vegetable matter, perhaps the remains of flower petals.  A faint floral scent still lingers here and there.



*Features:*
The horse is located in the center of the room (where the number 15 is).  It is in fact an animated skeletal horse, which has been coated in electrum by a process known only to the most advanced alchemists.  
Behind each of the four columns around the horse an animated skeletal footman is standing at attention.  Their bones have been subjected to a similar treatment.  Their once costly garments have decayed to fragments, but each holds a roughly serviceable spear and a heavy steel shield.
On the far wall (N), inquisitive characters will find a faded mural which depicts a regal white stallion in the same tack which hangs on the columns.  In the mural, the stallion is standing in front of an open sarcophagus, from which a tall man in expensive regalia (the king) has apparently just emerged.  In the hieroglyphics of Toths's kingdom (DC 30 Decipher), the word "Incitatus," the horse's name, is painted under the stallion and "His Royal Majesty, Whose Footfalls Are Like Thunder" under the king.
Along the east wall an 8 ft.-tall granite statue of a horse-headed god stands, with arms outstretched, holding the hide of a white stallion, which can reasonably be surmised to be that of the royal steed.  The statue is flanked by two extinguished braziers and numerous small offering plates and jars sit on the floor around it, though their contents are decayed and unidentifiable. 
If someone approaches within 5 ft. of the statue, a bird call (that of an ibis - DC 15 to identify by an appropriate Knowledge) will issue from its mouth.  A successful search of the statue (DC 15) will reveal that the lower jaw is hinged, though there will be no indication of a latch mechanism.  The mandible may be disabled and opened on a DC 15 Disable Device check or simply broken (Hardness 8; 60 hitpoints to break off), but such desecration will bring down a divine curse (_Bestow Curse_, Caster level 20, no save) on the culprits, so that (living) horses will shun them and all Ride checks will be at a -5 penalty until they have atoned.  The existence of a curse effect may be detected by the Search skill as a magic trap (DC 28) but not disabled due to its divine nature.
If an offering pleasing to the horse-god (particularly fruits or sweet treats) is placed before the statue, the mouth will open revealing a small copper statuette of an ibis on a circular 1-in. diameter base.  The word “Tekhen” is etched on the base in Tothian-era Hieratic script (DC 20) and it appears that it was made to attach to something (a rod for the lock mechanism for room 21).  The ibis is imbued with a _Permanent_ _Magic Mouth_ spell (10th level, Moderate aura, Universal) that causes it to emit an ibis call whenever a creature approaches within 5 ft, while the statue has a similar magical trigger spell, essentially a variant of _Alarm_ (1st level, Faint aura, Abjuration).
The west wall is covered with a series of Hieroglyphic inscriptions (DC 30 Decipher) that contain numerous long-winded paeans to the greatness of King Toth Nekamek, "Trampler of Enemies", his devotion to the "Long-Headed Lord," and the certainty of the king's eventual resurrection.  
In particularly large letters in the center of the wall, five parallel inscriptions in Tothian Hieratic script (DC 20), Tothian Hieroglyphics (DC 30), Infernal, Celestial, and oddly Dwarvish read "Thus sayeth the oracle - in death shalt thou rise up to pluck the fruits of thy deeds."  A character who succeeds in reading or interpreting at least one of these and studies the inscriptions for a minute or two gains a +2 insight bonus in subsequent attempts to Decipher inscriptions in either Hieratic or Hieroglyphics.
Reliefs depicting running horses, mounted cavalry, and horse races are carved between these inscriptions and throughout the chamber.

*Encounter (EL 2 or 3):* 
The horse will not normally react until its tack, saddle and bridle at a minimum, have been put on correctly (requires ranks in Ride skill, but no check), at which point it will walk to the location of the secret door and stand there.  After one round, the door trigger plates (4, one under each hoof) will activate the mechanism and the door will swing outward to reveal a tall,wide doorway.  A DC 20 Search check of the floor area in front of the secret door will reveal the plates, which can be actuated if the characters stand on all 4 simultaneously for one round.  A DC 17 Search of the wall will reveal the existence of the stone secret door but not the mechanism (hardness 8; hp 50).
If the horse has opened the door, it will proceed down the corridor and halt in front of room 19 (to await the king, in the event of his resurrection).  After that point, the skeletal horse will respond to direction as any other trained war steed would and could even be ridden out of the dungeon, if its passage could be engineered somehow.  Note also that the horse moves over the stone with a rather loud clip-clop, fairly noticeable from the rooms it passes (DC 15 Listen).
The skeletal footmen were ordered to attack any humanoids who have not applied the tack by the 11th round after entering (after one minute), an order which they take to apply to any biped that isn't obviously undead or extraplanar.  The footmen will appear increasingly fidgety and agitated as the time limit approaches. 
The skeletal footmen will naturally attack any party who attacks them or the horse, which they will follow to 19, if they can.  They will also attack any party who engages in vandalism or theft, such as smashing doors, breaking statues, or attempting to make off with the horse.
Each footman is coated with 10 GP worth of electrum and the horse is coated with 50 GP, though intact it could be worth considerably more to the right buyer.

*Description/Combat:*
Like all skeletons, once their attack conditions are met, the footmen will fight relentlessly though they will not pursue characters past the entrance to the chamber.  The skeletons also have a command, that if they attack and successfully repel intruders, they will close the sliding door at the entrance and sabotage it (by wedging spears and othe items into the slide from the inner side) so that it will have to be broken down if the characters want to reenter later.
The mirror-like surface of the electrum treatment renders them immune to acid and light-based damage (like _Searing Light_), and it imparts a +1 natural armor AC bonus.
The skeletal horse will attack if attacked or if restrained before it reaches room 19.

Skeleton footmen (electrum plated)(4): CR 1/2; LA -; Medium undead; HD 1d12; hp 6; Init +5; Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+1 Dex, +3 natural, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 11, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; ; Grp +2; Atk Shortspear +1 melee (1d8+1/x3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA —; SQ damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to cold, undead traits, immunity to acid, immunity to light; AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +2; Str 13, Dex 13, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1.
Languages: None
Skills and Feats: Improved Initiative.
Possessions: shortspear, heavy steel shield.
Description/Combat: 
Skeletons are the animated bones of the dead, mindless automatons that obey the orders of their evil masters.  (CR increased to 1/2 from 1/3 for electrum plating.)

Skeleton warhorse, heavy (electrum plated) (1): CR 2; LA -; Large undead; HD 4d12; hp 24; Init +6; Spd 50 ft.; AC 14 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, -1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +2; Grp +10; Atk Hoof +5 melee (1d6+4); Full Atk 2 hooves +5 melee (1d6+4) and bite +0 melee (1d4+2); Space/Reach 10 ft./5 ft; SA —; SQ damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to cold, undead traits, immunity to acid, immunity to light; AL NE; SV Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +4; Str 18, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1.
Languages: None
Skills and Feats: Improved Initiative.
Possessions: None
Description/Combat: 
Skeleton warhorses, heavy, are the animated bones of dead warhorses, heavy, mindless automatons that obey the orders of their evil masters and make really funky glue.

*Notes:*
The horse was the king's favorite in life and its bones were enchanted in this peculiar way in accord with the king's misguided belief that he would be resurrected one day, when he would obviously need a fine steed.  The electrum plating process serves multiple purposes, firstly ornamental, secondly protective, and thirdly preservative, as the tomb was expected to have to last many thousands of years, over which unprotected skeletal remains would tend to disintegrate.
The area was also set up as a shrine to the horse-headed god, to which the stallion was sacrificed after Toth's death.  The god was a fairly minor deity, now mostly forgotten, but a sentimental favorite of King Toth, who felt that a little extra good will from even a minor deity couldn't hurt.  The Long-Headed Lord is also the god from whom the ambiguous oracle of Toth's "rise" after death was delivered.  Toth's vanity prevented him from recognizing that the fruits of his deeds might be rather bitter.
With a DC 30 Knowledge (Religion or Bardic) check, a character will recall the obscure Long-Headed Lord to be a neutral and rather ambivalent deity with no substantial following in civilized lands, though it will also be recalled that the god is generally favorable to the animation of undead.
While the Hieroglyphics are a deceptively simple looking picture-writing similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics, the Hieratic inscriptions look more like conventional letters, though some of the shapes bear a resemblance to hieroglyphs.


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## Wycen (May 23, 2004)

*Room 7 Funerary Preparations Room* (Chad Barr “Wycen” )

*Door:* A wooden door covered in plaster, perhaps to match it with the surrounding walls, stands open and ajar, nearly split in half down the middle.  A latticework design outlines the door.  A Knowledge Religion check, DC 15 reveals the design indicates the transit from this world to the afterlife.  (Break DC 8, Hardness 5, HP 7)

*Room:*


> Inside this room stands a sturdy table currently heavy with the carcass of a creature. The north wall has 2 cabinets, their shelves lined with urns, candleholders and other items. Two gnolls stand here, one hacking away at the carcass and the other studying the contents of the cabinets. Charnel smells assault your nose.




*Features:* The table, designed to flow dripping blood into canals along the side, is covered with a carcass, possibly porcine in nature, tools used for embalming the dead, a dusty book, its pages now yellow from time and a single canopic jar sitting precariously on the northwest corner of the table. A single iron torch sconce, resembling a raft, is lit in the center of the eastern wall. Eregash (from Room 8) angrily battered the door in after the disaster in Room 14.  The wall opposite the door has a crude or perhaps unfinished fresco of a bird, (actually a phoenix) alighting atop a prone (dead) figure.  A Knowledge Religion check DC 18 will reveal this represents resurrection in the afterlife.

The cabinets, utilitarian but of good quality have drawers on the bottom and doors with inlaid colored glass on top. Inside are 12 empty urns, 3 hour long white candles and holders, a set of bronze false teeth, several dozen sticks of pungent smelling incense, a small wooden box with strips of bandage inside and a set of sutures.

*Encounter:* Magnix the cook is currently hacking hunks of meat to be prepared elsewhere, using his hand axe as a cleaver and is behind the table, facing the door. 

Nazgra is a young freshly trained shamaness who was ordered here by Eregash after the shaman, her superior, was killed in Room 14, * Gnoll Tunnel Disaster *.  Her animal companion, a viper, was also killed in the incident and she hasn’t had an opportunity to find a replacement yet.  She isn’t excited about being here. Her back is to the door. If battles ensue in rooms 3 or 8 a DC 10 Listen check will alert them to intruders.

Magnix the cook, male Gnoll War1: CR 1; Medium humanoid; HD 2d8+2 (gnoll) plus 1d8+1 (War); hp 15; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (+1 natural, +3 studded leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 14; Base Atk + 2; Grp +4; Atk hand axe +5 melee (1d6+2/x3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA none; SQ darkvision 60 ft.; AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8.
Languages: Gnoll
Skills: Intimidation +1, Listen +2, Spot +3 
Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus: Hand axe 
Possessions: 2 hand axes, studded leather armor, bag of spices, 10 gold pieces

Nazgra, female Gnoll Drd 1: CR 2; Medium humanoid; HD 2d8+2 (gnoll) plus 1d8+1 (Drd); hp 15; Init +1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 15 (+3 hide armor, +1 natural, +1 Dex), touch 10, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk Quarter staff +3 melee (1d6+2/x2); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA none; SQ darkvision 60 ft., Nature Sense, Wild Empathy, AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +4; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 12.
Languages: Gnoll, Druidic
Skills: Listen + 6, Spot +6
Feats: Power Attack, Dodge

Druid Spells Prepared: (3/2; save DC 12 + spell level): 0- detect magic, Cure Minor Wounds, Light; 1- shillelagh, Obscuring Mist

Possessions: Quarterstaff, hide armor, sling, 10 bullets, scroll of cure light wounds x2, potion of bear's endurance, tiger eye turquoise (12 gp)

*Tactics:* If they hear battle Magnix will peer past the door to see the commotion while Nazgra will first drink her potion of bear’s endurance and then cast shillelagh on her staff, if time permits. Nazgra is willing to negotiate if enemies appear particularly tough, and can understand her. She will try to use obscuring mist to keep foes away.

*Notes:* The canopic jar is the same as those found in Room 8, however Magnix and Nazgra aren't aware they can be used as weapons. If the jar or table is toppled, the jar will break. The table is constructed of hardwood with granite legs, thus a STR check DC 23 is needed to topple it.

Poison: Inhaled, Fortitude DC 15, initial and secondary damage 1d4 Str. 

When broken, the gas spreads into a 10 foot cube and anyone within the cloud must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 15) or become poisoned. The cloud only lasts 1 round before dissipating. Intact, each Canopic Jar is worth 25 gp to a collector of art.

The book, Vespers of the Duat, details the rituals used for embalming, however Magnix has haphazardly used it to wipe blood and grime from his axe.  Remaining relatively legible in the final pages of the book are some handwritten scripts useful in translating Hieratic and Hieroglyphs and would provide a +2 circumstance bonus to Decipher Script rolls within the tomb.

The left cabinet's bottom most drawer will not open completely. A DC 20 Search check reveals a whalebone comb has fallen between the runners, jamming the drawer when opened. The comb was used to groom the hair of the dead and is worth 50 gp.

The bronze false teeth could be worth 100 gp if a buyer could be found.


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## jester47 (May 23, 2004)

I will take 19 and see what I can do.

Aaron.


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## Tallfellow (May 23, 2004)

*ROOM 14: The Gnoll Tunnel Disaster*

I'd like to take room 14, if I may.  

*ROOM 14: The Gnoll Tunnel Disaster* (Lance Hewett, 'Tallfellow')

*Features:* As the party approaches the door to room 12, they notice a smooth, ancient tunnel branching off to the right. An observant character (Spot DC 15) may notice that the floor is lightly *speckled with blood*. The bloody footprint of a gnoll is also visible. Proceeding along the corridor a few paces, the signs of a battle become apparent. Torchlight will reveal a body crumpled on the floor at the point where the corridor turns to the left. Behind and above the body, on the wall, a relief carving of a distinguished-looking knight glares down the corridor at the approaching adventurers. Though worn with the passage of many years, his stern gaze is arresting, and he seems to be indicating with an out-thrust hand that none should pass, or that this is *the wrong way*. An investigation of the body will reveal it to be that of a Gnoll Shaman, clad in hide armor and clutching a long staff of smooth, dark wood. (A character may recognize that this staff seems out of place: a successful Knowledge Nature DC 15 or Knowledge Arcana DC 15 check will identify the staff as being made from Darkwood.) His pouches contain herbs useful for healing (+2 to Heal Check, 8 uses) and two large glyph-covered leaves (Druid Scroll of Calm Animal CL3 x 2.) The Gnoll Shaman seems to have been dragged along the ground from the west, as the stone is dark with his dried blood in that direction. His legs are noticeably missing -- they seem to have been chewed off.

As the characters move further down the passage to the west, they will notice the mangled and torn bodies of 3 other gnoll fighters. They appear to have been armed with clubs and bone-toothed whips. There are also several lengths of blood-smeared broken chain scattered amongst the bodies. A search of the grisly remains reveals only 6cp. At the end of the corridor (No. 14 on the map) a broken pit-trap yawns open in the floor, and the smashed remnants of a shoddy wooden bridge cling to the sides. From here, the ancient stone walls end, and freshly-carved rough tunnels branch off in two directions. They are about 6 feet wide and almost 9 high. A character familiar with stonecutting or dungeoncraft (DC5) could see that these were made by some burrowing creature, not by tools, and within the last 24 hours. Deep claw marks are obvious on the floor and walls. If the characters approach the pit-trap hole, they will be attacked by the dire badger lurking 10 ft along the northern branch tunnel.

*Encounter: (EL3) * 
Advanced Dire Badger (+2HD) Large Animal Hit Dice: 5d8+28 (50 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), burrow 10 ft. Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +5 natural, -1 Size), touch 11, flat-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+9 Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d6+6) Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (1d6+6) and bite +4 melee (1d8+3) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Rage Special Qualities: Low-light vision, Scent Saves: Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +5 Abilities: Str 22, Dex 15, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10 Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7 Feats: Alertness, Toughness, Track Environment: Temperate forests Organization: Solitary or cete (2–5) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: None Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 4–9 HD (Large) Level Adjustment: --
Rage (Ex): A dire badger that takes damage in combat flies into a berserk rage on its next turn, clawing and biting madly until either it or its opponent is dead. It gains +4 Strength, +4 Constitution, and –2 AC. The creature cannot end its rage voluntarily.

*Notes:* 
The creature is slightly wounded, angry and afraid. It will attack without provocation, but a druid or ranger may be able to calm it. It has a thick iron chain wound around its neck, and broken chains trailing from this, smeared with gnoll blood. In the tunnels, the creature is *squeezing*, and takes a *-4 to both attack and AC * and can only move at *half speed*. Note that the badger will try to exploit its 10ft reach to attack characters over the pit trap.

A search of the pit trap (Climb DC 15 to get down, otherwise 1d6 falling +1d4 spikes) will find a gnoll rogue impaled on spikes at the bottom. He has 3gp, a set of standard lockpicks, and a small ceramic vial full of dust (Dust Of Tracelessness, magical)


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## GreyShadow (May 23, 2004)

Is there a particular reason why the monsters have to come from the SRD?


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## Slife (May 23, 2004)

*Room 5 - The small bedroom* Tim Challener

*Door:* The westward-facing stone door is unlocked, and the wooden bar has been broken through - the PCs approaching from hallway #2 will have no trouble opening it.  The door is closed



> As you enter the room, you stir up a thin cloud of dust.  The feeble light spilling through the open door reveals a spartan bedroom, furnished with a cupboard on your immediate left, and parallel from that on the other side is a chest.  Ahead of you is a large, double bed.  Just to the left of the bed, you can barely make out the outlines of a chair, pulled up to a table.




*Traps:* The bed: CR 3; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; DC 20 Reflex save avoids; 8 ft. deep; pit spikes (Atk +5 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4 each); Single Target;  Search DC 15; Disable Device DC 20; onset delay (1 round) (If the character doesn't stay on the bed for a complete round, the trap will not be triggered).

The bed splits into halves, dropping the unfortunate into the pit below.  There is one hellhound below in the pit, hidden (Spot check -3) among the scattered bones.  These bones act as spikes, dealing damage when the character falls in.  The mechanism will take an entire round to give way.

The bed has been clumsily made (not in the constructed sense), and the bottoms of the pillows smell faintly of brimstone (if someone checks).  The frame itself is made of wood (cheap oak), the panels extend to the floor, and the entire thing is bolted in place.

*Features*:  A thick gold necklace (Worth about 20gp for the raw gold, maybe 50 for the craftsmanship) is hung from a nail on the wall, about three feet above the bed.  Grabbing the necklace will change the bed trap to an instant trigger

*Encounter:* [CL 3]  1 hellhound, in pit trap below bed.  It was placed there as a trap when the area changed hands, but hasn't been fed in a while.  It's VERY hungry.  If the adventurers leave without killing it, they will hear an ominous howl and some thumps.  If they forget to close the door, the DM will roll a jump check every five minutes or so for the hellhound.  If it succeeds, it gets out, going after the party with its excellent tracking abilities.  It will not follow the party out of the tomb, but it will be lurking around if they come again later.  (perhaps to finish looting).  If the party reenters the room after the escape, the bed will have burnt up, and tracks from clawed feet will lead out the door through the dust.

Hellhound (1): Medium Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Fire, Lawful)
CR 3; HD 4d8+4; hp 22; Init +5; Speed 40 ft. (8 squares); 16 (+1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +4; Grapple +5; Attack Bite +5 melee (1d8+1 plus 1d6 fire), Full Attack Bite +5 melee (1d8+1 plus 1d6 fire); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA Breath weapon, fiery bite; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, scent, vulnerability to cold; AL lawful evil; Saves Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4; 
Str 13, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills and feats: Improved Initiative, Run, TrackB, Hide +13, Jump +12, Listen +7, Move Silently +13, Spot +7, Survival +7 (+8 racial bonus when tracking by scent)

*Other Features:*  Obscured by the remains of less fortunate adventures, in the pit there are three small flasks of holy water, 137 copper pieces, some broken glass and assorted armor debris.  The chest contains some (4-5) boring sounding books (Things like "A Brief History of the Curious Adaptations of Agriculture in the Glupa Inlets").  The books are worth a good bit to the right buyer, assuming they can find one.  The cupboard contains a bottle of wine and some stale bread.

This room used to be a normal bedroom, with a secret compartment underneath the bed to hide valuables.  The infernal creatures renovated the room, removing the treasure and installing a hellhound and trap, in order to catch unwise adventurers.



How's that?  It's amazing how many times adventurers forget to close doors.  This'll keep them on their toes.


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## The Forsaken One (May 23, 2004)

I'll take room 10


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## Trainz (May 23, 2004)

GreyShadow said:
			
		

> Is there a particular reason why the monsters have to come from the SRD?



Absolutely. It is illegal to use an item that is not open game content.


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## Trainz (May 23, 2004)

Slife said:
			
		

> *Room 5*



Slife, you will need to give your room a name, and you have to give your complete name (look at room 1 to see how to do it).

Here's what is written in the first post:



> Write your real name beside the room name of your entry. No anonymous contributions will be accepted.



Thanks !


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## thullgrim (May 23, 2004)

I would like rooms 2 and 3 if possible.

2 will be Gnoll Guardroom
3 Will be Shrine to Yeenoghu (Is he OGC?)

Thullgrim


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## thullgrim (May 23, 2004)

Strike Yeengohu (I don't think its OGC) I will come up with a Gnoll Patron who will be Open Content You can place it in an appendix to the Dungeon or something.

Thullgrim


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## The Forsaken One (May 23, 2004)

> Absolutely. It is illegal to use an item that is not open game content.



So no customized or homebrewed stuff?


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## Trainz (May 23, 2004)

The Forsaken One said:
			
		

> So no customized or homebrewed stuff?



Ii is very hard, with all the products out there, to determine if homebrewed stuff is not too similar with something already published and not OGC. I would rather not walk that line, as I want Cooperative Dungeons to have a big success.

I am very sorry about that.


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## Trainz (May 23, 2004)

thullgrim said:
			
		

> Strike Yeengohu (I don't think its OGC) I will come up with a Gnoll Patron who will be Open Content You can place it in an appendix to the Dungeon or something.
> 
> Thullgrim



Roger that.


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## The Forsaken One (May 23, 2004)

Cancel those dibbs on 11, I'll take 17 instead, idea fits that room better.


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## Ferret (May 23, 2004)

Can someone leave on open, I know it's an unfair favour but I'm trying to do loads of coursework for school. 

[edit like 13 please


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## Phineas Crow (May 23, 2004)

room 8 is posted, I still have a couple things to do for it though, I plan on adding stats for the summoned creature and I need to redo the mechanics for the canopic jars as grenade-like weapons.


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## Trainz (May 23, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> Can someone leave on open, I know it's an unfair favour but I'm trying to do loads of coursework for school.
> 
> [edit like 13 please



How long would you need ?


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## Ferret (May 23, 2004)

Um, I need something from school tommorrow and I might be on the comp doing that for a lond time (otherwise I'd have done it today).

Untill wednesday (12 midnight on tuesday gmt.)


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## ConnorSB (May 24, 2004)

I'm almost done with the rest of the writeup for room 9, so if time runs over, please don't put it up for grabs again- if I don't finish in a few hours, I will by tommorrow.

Thanks,
Connor


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## GreyShadow (May 24, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> Absolutely. It is illegal to use an item that is not open game content.




I know that.  I meant, why restrict it to just the SRD?  Why not allow ogc from some other books, eg: Tome of Horrors?


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## Mark (May 24, 2004)

GreyShadow said:
			
		

> I know that.  I meant, why restrict it to just the SRD?  Why not allow ogc from some other books, eg: Tome of Horrors?




It's the safest way to be sure we're legal.  With the amount of time that those of us who work behind the scenes (beyond what happens in this thread) need to put into these CD-x porjects, and with the limited amount of resources to check sources beyond the SRD, it's just the way it has to be.  Sorry.  Can't budge on this one.


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## Trainz (May 24, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> Um, I need something from school tommorrow and I might be on the comp doing that for a lond time (otherwise I'd have done it today).
> 
> Untill wednesday (12 midnight on tuesday gmt.)



I don't think you have to worry. There's still plenty of rooms available (9 at the moment), so by the time you are ready to work on it, just pick one then.

Keep an eye on the thread. If you see that at one point there's very few rooms, pick one then and there shouldn't be any problem.


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## tarchon (May 24, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> *Tactics*: Eregash’s first instinct is to toss the poison-filled canopic jar (see below) that he is holding at any intruders.



Hehe.  "You're breaking my heart!"


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## Erekose13 (May 24, 2004)

*Warped Burial Chamber*

*Room 18 - Warped Burial Chamber * (created by Chris Cumming "Erekose13")

*Door*: The door to this room is made of heavy copper and it is unlocked.  Where it once featured bas-relief carvings of jackal headed guardians, it is now a twisted morass of burnished copper, green with age and corruption.  While it has maintained its shape and use, the door is stuck (Strength check DC 20 to open, Break DC 25, Hardness 8, Hit points 50.)  It is possible to make out some of the faces and body parts of the carvings, though they have been twisted almost beyond recognition.



> Upon opening the heavy door, a thick white smoke begins to billow out of the room into the hall beyond hanging very close to the floor.  Inside the room, the floor is cracked and mangled, beneath which sickly yellow-green light radiates, coloring the smoke that hugs the ground.  Around the room are the smashed remains of six stone sarcophagi.  Some of them appear to have melted as have the four small columns that interspace the sarcophagi.




*Traps*: The miasma of smoke and sickly green light causes characters to become sickened (Fort Save DC 13) if they remain in the room for more than 4 rounds (roll save each round after 4, lasts until the character exits the room). In addition the fog grants concealment (20% miss chance) to any prone medium creature or any creature size small or smaller. 
*Sickening Fog*: CR 2; no attack roll necessary (see below); Search (DC 25); Disable Device (DC 27 - magic); Notes: this trap is a constant presence, but it can be disabled by a rogue. A sickened creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

*Features*: The six sarcophagi and four columns have all been warped by the presence of the forces of Chaos.  They are for the most part rubble, and contain nothing.  

In addition to the smoke on the floor, the uneven nature makes the floor difficult to cross. It is considered difficult terrain costing 2 squares of movement per 5ft. square and prevents running and charging.

*Encounter (EL 5)*: A grick, one of Chaos' pets, lives in this room enjoying the smoke and nauseating green light.  It hides between the furthest two sarcophagi on the right. It is currently lying prone and with it's concealment and hide bonus it is very difficult to spot (Spot DC 21). 

*Grick*: medium aberration; CR 3; HD 2d8; hp 9, Init +2; Spd 30ft., climb 20ft.; AC 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +1; Grapple: +3; Atk Tentacle +3 melee (1d4+2); Full Atk 4 tentacles +3 melee (1d4+2); bite -2 melee (1d3+1); Space/Reach 5ft./5ft.; SA -; SQ Damage reduction 10/magic, darkvision 60ft., scent; AL CN (N usually); SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +5; Str 14, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 5.
*Skills and Feats*: Climb +10, Hide +3*, Listen +6, Spot +6; Alertness, Track.

*Description/Combat*: This grick is about 8 feet long from the tips of its tentacles to the end of its body and weighs some 200 pounds. Its body coloration is uniformly dark gray, with a pale green underbelly. A grick’s natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. It waits patiently for anyone entering the room to move further in, hoping that the broken and melted furniture will invite curious explorers.  Once characters are within 10ft. of it, the grick will leap up and attack the nearest creature. Having lived in the room for some time it is immune to the sickening effect of the smoke and light.

*Skills*: A grick has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
*Their coloration affords gricks a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks when in natural rocky areas.

*Other Features*: Hidden under a rock (Search DC 20) beneath where the grick lay is its treasure taken from the bodies of those it was either given as food a long time ago or those who have come across it since.  It's treasure includes 13 gp, 60sp, a small peice of lapis-lazuli (10gp) and a scroll in a thin leather case (_enlarge person_, caster level 1).

*Notes*: This room once held the bodies of the royal guards for king Toth Nekamek.  They were buried here quite near the king so that they might serve the king in the afterlife.  Chaos (room 21) brought with him a grick to whom he granted this room to feast on.  The grick has enjoyed its time here, long ago having devoured the corpses of the kings ancient bodyguards.  The corrupting nature of Chaos and his minions has perverted this sacred room, twisting it into its unnatural nauseating appearance.


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## Mark (May 24, 2004)

People can use stuff from here - 

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35

- but - 

Wait for Trainz to make a call on Psionincs stuff.  It might be best to do a separate CD-xx with Psionincs.


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## Erekose13 (May 24, 2004)

Thanks Mark, decided to go with a Grick anyways. Hopefully we will see a psionics one in the future, I am a big proponent of the psionics rules.


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## John Q. Mayhem (May 24, 2004)

I've read the other CD threads with interedt, and I think I'll participate in this one. I'd like to do room 16, and I should have it posted by tonight.


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## Trainz (May 24, 2004)

Mark said:
			
		

> People can use stuff from here -
> 
> http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35
> 
> ...



To be honest, I am not familiar at all with the Psionics, and I have little interest in it. It doesn't mean that we couldn't do it, but I wouldn't be able to participate in the edition process as much. Unless the other editors tell me that they are willing to cover it without me, I'm afraid we'll have to put the psionics aside for now.

Not all DM's use psionics, but all of them use the core rules. I want those plug-in adventures to be readily usable by all. That said, a psionics enclined DM can, with little effort, use the CDx adventures and modify them to have psionic elements in them.


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## The Forsaken One (May 24, 2004)

*Room 10 – Storage Room* (Kris Hulsen "The Forsaken One")

*Door:* A strong wooden door forms the eastern entrance to this room. The door is stuck and can’t be opened normally but must be forced open. It requires a DC 23 strength check to open, doing so alerts Nestiphae the Svirfneblin who has been hiding in this room (See below). (Strength DC 25 to break; Hardness 5; hp 20) 

A second door in the southern wall grants access to this room as well. Anyone who makes a DC 15 spot check will notice that this door is quite new and must have been placed only recently. The door is sturdy and will open with a grinding sound as it’s hinges are unoiled as of yet which might alert other creatures down the hallway. Otherwise it is unlocked. (Strength DC 25 to break; Hardness 5; hp 20)



> Upon entering this room the smell of ale mingled with another faint odour greets you. In the flickering light of your torch you can make out several cupboards lining the western and northern walls and some crates, boxes and a barrel dotting the southern wall suggesting you found a storage room of some sort. Across the room the outline of another door can be made out.




*Features:* The four cupboards in the room contain only a small assortment of food and drinks. They contain nothing of real value or interest unless the characters are extremely hungry or thirsty. Of the two small boxes in the room the left contains 4 whetstones, some flint and steel and 4 spindles each of which holds 60 ft. of hemp rope. The right one contains spare mining equipment for the Gnolls, 4 shovels, 6 picks, 5 hammers and a couple of dozen nails. The barrel in the south-eastern corner was once filled with ale but now hold the bloody corpse of the Gnoll Nestiphae killed last night. The two larger crates lined up against the southern wall of the room contain nothing but an assortment of random goods the Gnolls use to make their living here.

*Encounter (EL 5):* Nestiphae, a young female Svirfneblin, has been down on her luck the last months and when she caught wind of a Gnoll excavation she felt the winds of fortune were changing. Searching out in a nearby pass for a clue where the Gnolls might be she found four Gnolls robbing a travelling merchant. She followed them while they carried the stolen supplies back to their lair. There she waited for nightfall and she sneaked into the tomb. There she has been hiding out now for over a day in the storage room where she found a couple of potions and some gold. 

Last night she watched as one of the Gnolls came running anxiously down the hallway carrying some sort of scroll case. Figuring by the Gnoll’s excitement that it must be valuable she tripped her unwary victim as the he passed by the storage room on his way to his inform Ergash the Cleric (See room 8) of his findings. The Gnoll soon found himself being dragged into the storage room bleeding to death with a dagger sticking out from his neck. Nestiphae tried to cover the blood in the hallway as well as she could with some dirt after she hid the Gnoll’s body in the barrel in south-eastern corner of the storage room. But a keen eye might still notice the blood stains on the floor (Spot check DC 20). 

Seeing the scroll as something obviously magical and valuable, Nestiphae’s common sense has been telling her to leave with what she was able to steel and be content. Her greed however has gotten the upper hand and she has decided to play this dangerous game a little longer. Hiding out in a crate in the storage room pondering how she can lay her tiny greedy hands on more of this lost tomb’s riches she waits for her next opportunity.

*Tactics:* Nestiphae is a smart and stealthy deep gnome and she is all to aware of her not unimpressive skills in this area. If someone starts breaking through the stuck eastern door she’ll won’t take any chances and climb out of her crate (which takes a full round action) and head out the southern door to find another safe place to hide out. If the adventurers leave the stuck door for what it is and enter through the southern door Nestiphae will try to remain hidden. 

If discovered she will try to flee the tomb unless there is but a single opponent in the room who she will try to kill and rob. After all, there are plenty of half empty crates and boxes left to hide bodies in and if necessary in pieces. If the adventurers leave the room and leave only a single member behind to search the room she will sneak attack him the moment he searches her crate using her surprise action and trying to get another sneak attack in using her high initiative modifier. If all adventurers leave the room and she is still undiscovered and continue their search of the tomb she will follow them as quietly as possible. When they might emerge in a tight spot or appear heavily wounded after a fight she will attack them if she thinks she can take them.

Whenever she is severely hurt Nestiphae will take her chances with the potions she found in the storage room and hope for the best that they are healing potions. Depending on her luck they might well be.

*Nestiphae*, female Svirfneblin Rog 4: CR 5; Small humanoid; HD 4d6+2 (rog); hp 24; Init +9; Spd 20 ft.; AC 24 (+5 Dex, +1 buckler, +4 dodge, +1 size, +3 masterwork studded leather), touch 15, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +3; Grp -1; Atk Masterwork Dagger +9 melee (1d4, 19-20/x2) or Masterwork Light Crossbow +9 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA Spell-like abilities, Sneak attack +2d6; SQ darkvision 120 ft., Spellresistance 15, Stonecunning, Nondetection, Trapfinding, Uncanny Dodge, Evasion, Trapsense +1; AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +6; Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 5.
Languages: Undercommon, Gnome, Common, Terran
Skills: Concentration +5, Listen +12, Spot +10, Search +8, Disable Device +12, Open Lock +10, Hide +16, Move Silently +12, Decipher Script +5, Tumble +12, Escape Artist +7
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse

Possessions: masterwork studded leather armor, masterwork light crossbow, bolts x8, masterwork dagger, buckler, _cursed nexus map_, potion of cure light wounds (CL 1) x2, Potion of poison (Ingestion, primary and secondary damage 1d6 points of constitution), pouch (contains 28 gp and a small silver seal ring worth 9 gp)

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—blindness/deafness (DC 13), blur, disguise self (CL 4).

Nondetection (Su): A svirfneblin has a continuous nondetection ability as the spell (caster level equal to class levels).




> *Cursed Nexus Map*: This ancient looking scroll is one of the many cursed item that dot this forgotten tomb. It looks like it might fall apart at any moment but closer examination reveals that the magic with which it is imbued holds it together. The scroll is full with runes and glyphs which are made to look like a map. Magical analysis indicates that this scroll is a normal Nexus Map. However, the scroll is cursed. If the item is used as a focus for a _teleport_ or a similar spell, it causes the spell to go awry and automatically result in a teleport _mishap_ on the teleport % check. Immediately after use the scroll randomly teleports itself to another treasure hoard to be found by others.
> _Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, teleport, bestow curse; Market Price: 5,000 gp.
> 
> *Nexus Map*: This flat piece of lacquered wood is carved and inlaid to look like a map. If the item is used as a focus for teleport or a similar spell, it allows the caster to reroll the teleport % check. A reroll can only be made once per day. The caster must use the result of the reroll, even if it is worse than the original roll.
> Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, teleport; Market Price: 5,000 gp. _



_

*Note:* Nestiphae’s ring might be a typical seal ring used to gain access to a safety deposit box at an inn or some kind of shop in a nearby city. The box might contain a map or some clue that might lead the hero’s on another adventure.


[NB: The Nexus Scroll is a custom item taken from SeanKReynolds site and made by him. It is not protected by copyright or any such thing and it is part of OGC. It might be nice through to name him in the credits.]_


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## thullgrim (May 24, 2004)

I don't know when my rooms are due in today but I will have them done today, they may just be a couple of hours late.

Until then here is the Gnoll patron I was talking about.
Thullgrim


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## thullgrim (May 24, 2004)

This is as generic as possible so DM's can easily use it.

*Hrauk*
_Laughing Jackal, Smiling Maw, Carrion Devourer_
*Lesser Deity*
*Symbol*		Grinning gnollish skull flanked by bat wings
*Home Plane*		Carrion Fields
*Alignment*		Chaotic Evil
*Portfolio*		Cruelty, Trickery, Viciousness
*Worshippers*		Gnolls, some Werecreatures
*Cleric Alignments*	CE, CN, NE
*Domains*		Chaos, Evil, Destruction, Trickery
*Favored Weapon*	Dire Flail
Hrauk is one of several Demon Lords who take interest in the gnoll tribes.  He is neither the most powerful nor the most popular, however he is the most feared.  Even more so than the patrons of the gnolls, Hrauk and his followers are vicious and unpredictable.

Hrauk appears as a 10ft tall gnoll with bat wings and a barbed tail.  He is perpetually smiling or laughing.  His fangs are long and capped in some black metal, while the rest of his teeth appear to be yellow and rotting.  Hrauk constantly carries the stench of rotten meat.  

*Goals*
Like all Demon Lords, Hrauk seeks more power for himself and is willing to do anything to make that happen.  His immediate goal is consolidation of the various gnoll tribes into a cohesive whole, under his patronage of course.  To that end he has granted his most promising servants his personal aid in the form of various quasits and other servants who can help guide his servants in his greater plan.

Long term he wants to be the sole Lord of the Gnolls.  The other gnollish patrons of course oppose him in this.  Unfortunately for them, Hrauk seems to be making progress as more and more tribes are appearing bearing the winged skull emblem.  Once Hrauk has taken control of the gnolish tribes he will set his sites on one of the major players of the Abyss and begin making planes to take them down.  Hrauk recognizes the power of the other gnollish patrons, is not so blind as he won't ally with them.  However, any alliance must be on his terms and he must be play the dominant role.  Long term Hrauk sees the other gnollish patron obedient to him in a unified gnollish pantheon with him at its head.

*Cult*
The Cult of Hrauk was uncommon amongst even gnolls until the last ten years or so and is now becoming more and more common as Hrauk begins his ascension amongst the gnollish tribes.

Hrauk is a demanding lord.  His followers are commanded to take slaves and hold them for a while, devouring them slowly in sight of the others and to perhaps make the other slaves devour their comrades as well.  Sacrifice is common in the cult of Hrauk.  Both gnolls and non-gnolls alike make acceptable sacrifices to the Smiling Maw.  Hrauk’s favorite sacrifices are clerics of other gnollish patrons; he takes a personal interest in these, often granting the priests who perform these sacrifices a special blessing.

Worship places of Hrauk carry the stench of death and decay.  They are commonly found outdoors and underground.  Hrauk likes to subsume the holy places of other deities, gnollish or otherwise so his shrines are often located around reconsecrated altars of other gods.

Priests of Hrauk dress in yellow robes often times smeared in the blood of their victims.  Priests are referred to as Fangs or for the most senior priest within a tribe The Fang.   Fangs are never found without implements of torture, such as whips, small daggers, and other instruments designed to inflict cruelty on others.
*History*
Hrauk has many enemies and few allies.  He prefers it that way; it makes life simpler if one knows who ones enemies are.  His enemies include the other gnollish patrons, most other humanoid deities, and all the civilized races.  His only allies some of the deities worshipped by the most depraved of the werecreatures.

He was once a senior servant to another Demon Lord, but rose to the point where only his patron sttod between him and the rulership of the layer of the abyss on which they dwelled.  Hrauk did what all good demons do, he started a war between his patron and another more powerful Demon Lord and during the chaos of war, slew his master.  Once he consolidated his power he slew the other lord and assumed his powers and followers as well.  Since then Hrauk has steadily been plotting to rise even higher.

Hrauk has spent the last couple of centuries attacking other Demon Lords of similar power to his own.  These include other gnollish patrons as well those lords and demigods to whom many of the most vile werecreatures pay respect.  His endeavours have paid off though, as by slaying them and subsuming their powers and portfolio's he has risen to the status of lesser deity and is now in a position to make a move against the other Demon Lords the gnolls worship.


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## tarchon (May 24, 2004)

It might be pointed out that jackals (doglike) and hyenas (more catlike, but not really cats) are two very different animals.
Jackal:





(Spotted) Hyena:


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## Conaill (May 24, 2004)

So would it be appropriate to use the Hyena for Jackal stats? Or would Wolf or Riding Dog be more appropriate?

I'm thinking of having an Awakened Jackal Cleric as a "guard dog" in #20...


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## tarchon (May 24, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> So would it be appropriate to use the Hyena for Jackal stats? Or would Wolf or Riding Dog be more appropriate?
> 
> I'm thinking of having an Awakened Jackal Cleric as a "guard dog" in #20...



Jackals are like coyotes, lightly-built wild dogs.  Hyenas are much larger and more agressive.
I think Trainz intended the hyena-headed gnolls to be interlopers, while the jackal-headed statues are remnants from the tomb's original construction, part of the quasi-Egyptian theme.  One of the best-known ancient Egyptian gods was Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the dead, who obviously appears prominently in Egyptian tomb decoration.


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## Conaill (May 24, 2004)

So perhaps stats for a Small Dog would be a better fit?

Heh, would you look at that: "The statistics presented here describe a fairly small dog of about 20 to 50 pounds in weight. They also can be used for small wild canines such as coyotes, *jackals*, and African wild dogs."

Ok, small dog it is!  After awakening, that'll be 2 HD, CR 1. Plenty of space to add Cleric levels to...

I'm calling dibs on room #20 then.


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## Conaill (May 24, 2004)

Could anyone post a picture or link to a Babau demon? Do they have any jackal features?

So far we have lots of stuff connected to Toth Nekamek, lots of jackals, death and rebirth imagery... but little trace of the Babau demon that's supposed to be at the end of this dungeon (with the exception of the Grick in #18).

What if Toth Nekamek is being "reborn" as a Babau demon? The object of power that' supposed to be in #21 could be the sarcophagus that makes this transformation possible...


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## Ferret (May 24, 2004)

Ok coursework out of the way.... Bagsie room 13!


Oooohhhh 13! Unluck for some!


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## Wycen (May 24, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Could anyone post a picture or link to a Babau demon? Do they have any jackal features?




A babau resembles a skeleton, but with the skin stretched tightly over the bones. 

http://mandaria.free.fr/images/demons/babau.jpg


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## Conaill (May 24, 2004)

Thanks, Wycen!

I guess a Babau demon with a jackal head and covered in mummy wrappings would *really* confuse the heck out of any metagaming munchkins.  Something to keep in mind for whomever wants to tackle #21...

PS: Could someone point out which one is the Babau in the Monster Manual v.3.5 Art Gallery? I'm guessing it might be the bottom left one of these three:





[Edit: Yeah, that looks right... It's got the red protective slime covering and everything...]


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## Trainz (May 24, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> Jackals are like coyotes, lightly-built wild dogs. Hyenas are much larger and more agressive.
> I think Trainz intended the hyena-headed gnolls to be interlopers, while the jackal-headed statues are remnants from the tomb's original construction, part of the quasi-Egyptian theme. One of the best-known ancient Egyptian gods was Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the dead, who obviously appears prominently in Egyptian tomb decoration.



Very perceptive, that was very precisely my intent. Also note that the gems on the tomb (room 1) are lapis-lazuli, which were renown to be extensively used in ancient Egypt jewelry.

I recomend using those same gems in the treasures of the _inner_ tomb, to enhance the theme, and the fact that they're 10 g.p. each will make it suitable for EL3 treasures (divide the amount of gold you wanted to give out by 10 (minus magic items) and that's the number of lapis-lazuli you include).

Mark is the one that suggested the theme for this CD, gnolls, outer and inner tomb included. I think that was a very good idea, because this adventure so far looks SWEET ! Well done guys !


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## Trainz (May 24, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Thanks, Wycen!
> 
> I guess a Babau demon with a jackal head and covered in mummy wrappings would *really* confuse the heck out of any metagaming munchkins.  Something to keep in mind for whomever wants to tackle #21...



That is a fabulous idea. Look at it, the picture already has the leg and arm bracelets found in egyptian art. The PC's would think they are facing the avatar of some evil god, at level 3 ! Way to freak them out ! And the critter's spell-like abilities would only enhance that idea !


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## Phineas Crow (May 24, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> I guess a Babau demon with a jackal head and covered in mummy wrappings would *really* confuse the heck out of any metagaming munchkins.  Something to keep in mind for whomever wants to tackle #21...




The babau demon could be wearing a jackel head shaped mask and/or helm...

And since its available, I'll take room 21.


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## tarchon (May 24, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> What if Toth Nekamek is being "reborn" as a Babau demon? The object of power that' supposed to be in #21 could be the sarcophagus that makes this transformation possible...



I was thinking exactly the same thing.  In the old 1st ed. MM, very evil souls could become something like demon grubs after death and advance to become greater demons.
A bitter Toth might resent the cruel joke of fate, bringing him back to his former tomb as a hideous babau demon.


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## tarchon (May 24, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> The babau demon could be wearing a jackel head shaped mask and/or helm...
> 
> And since its available, I'll take room 21.




"Holy crossovers, Batman! - it's a jafa!"


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## der_kluge (May 24, 2004)

This is just a request, but when we create CD5, can we base it off something other than these flat, two-dimensional boring dungeons?


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## Wycen (May 24, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> "Holy crossovers, Batman! - it's a jafa!"




Beat me to it.    

For Room 7, as I pointed out in the text for Nazgra, she's sort of an apprentice, so when we have a more complete picture we can figure out who her master might be.


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## tarchon (May 25, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> The babau demon could be wearing a jackel head shaped mask and/or helm...
> 
> And since its available, I'll take room 21.




Hmm... might have to hide the horn in the nose of the jackal.


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> Hmm... might have to hide the horn in the nose of the jackal.




naw... horned jackels are way cooler than regular jackels...


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## Conaill (May 25, 2004)

On the topic of homebrewn versus SRD creatures...

To what extent is it ok to "customize" standard SRD creatures? For example, we had a Smoke Mephit in CD 3, which was just a cosmetic modification of one of the other mephits. And I did add some decidely nonstandard features to the Caretaker in CD 3 as well. 

To be concrete, I was thinking of having a swarm of Ushabti (funeral figurines), based on the Rat Swarm in the SRD. Now, I could just take the Rat Swarm stats completely as-is. Even the Filth Fever attack makes sense, in a "curse of the mummy" sort of way. But to be more correct I should really add some Construct traits, such as the lack of Con score and all that comes with that (immunity to anything requiring a Fort save, etc.)

How much of a hassle are these alterations to the editing crew? I assume changing names and minor features is ok. But there's a continuum from that all the way down to having my own homebrewn Tiny Construct Swarm which only barely resembles the rat swarm anymore.

What do you think? Assuming balance and copyright issues are not a problem... how much customization is acceptable for this project?


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## ConnorSB (May 25, 2004)

Is Chackel supposed to be the god of Gnolls, a replacement for Yeno-whatever? Or is he supposed to be the god worshiped by Toth, the dead king? In my writeup of room nine, I pegged Chackel as the dark patron of Toth, but I can go back and change it.


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## Mark (May 25, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> On the topic of homebrewn versus SRD creatures...




The homebrew or altered SRD material is fine.  It's only problematic when a third party source is used (for which we might not have the source material).  What you're doing sounds fine (and quite cool, I might add).


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## tarchon (May 25, 2004)

ConnorSB said:
			
		

> Is Chackel supposed to be the god of Gnolls, a replacement for Yeno-whatever? Or is he supposed to be the god worshiped by Toth, the dead king? In my writeup of room nine, I pegged Chackel as the dark patron of Toth, but I can go back and change it.



Chacal should - I would think - be the non-proprietary generic version of Anubis, the jackal-headed god that appears in the original tomb motif.
The non-proprietary gnoll god would presumably be different.  I could write one up if it's thought necessary, though my gnoll god would in no way resemble Youknowwho.


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## ConnorSB (May 25, 2004)

If he's supposed to be anubis-esque, then good, I won't have to change anything in my writeup of room nine- Hall of Final Judgement.


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## Conaill (May 25, 2004)

Cool! 

How does this sound, for my swarm of funeral figurines:

*USHABTI SWARM
Tiny Construct (Swarm)
Hit Dice*: 3d10 (16 hp)
*Initiative*: +2 
*Speed*: 40 ft. (8 squares) 
*Armor Class*: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12 
*Base Attack/Grapple*: +2/— 
*Attack*: Swarm (1d6 plus disease) 
*Full Attack*: Swarm (1d6 plus disease) 
*Space/Reach*: 10 ft./0 ft. 
*Special Attacks*: Disease, distraction 
*Special Qualities*: Half damage from slashing and piercing, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, swarm traits, construct traits
*Saves*: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will -4 
*Abilities*: Str 8, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1 
*Skills*: —
*Feats*: —
*Challenge Rating*: 2 
*Treasure*: None 
*Alignment*: Always neutral 
*Advancement*: None 
*Level Adjustment*: —

Essentially, I swapped the Rat stats for the Tiny Animated Object stats. The result is a swarm that is much faster, has Darkvision and some extra immunities. To counterbalance, it also has poorer saves (Ref +3 instead of Ref +6 can make the difference if the PCs start tossing alchemist fire!) and I gave it one fewer HD (16 hp instead of 18 hp - the 13 hp for Rat Swarm in the SRD is wrong). Seems balanced?


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## Trainz (May 25, 2004)

It looks cool Conaill, but also write the Distraction DC.


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## Elephant (May 25, 2004)

Room 4 - The Gnoll Barracks (Brian Thompson)

Door:  A Good Wooden Door, Unlocked, opens inward. (Break DC 16, Hardness 5, 15hp)  The players will hear Gnolls inside on a DC 5 Listen check.

Room:  Refer to the table below for the appropriate description.
Nighttime: 







> As you enter the room, you are disgusted by how dingy everything is.  Two rows of filthy, unmade beds line the walls to either side of you.  Scattered about the room you see some some broken pottery, discarded bits of cloth, and even some human bones!  Three shocked Gnolls turn from their dice game and glare at you with spite.



Day or evening: 







> Peering into the darkened room, you can make out two rows of beds lining the walls to either side of you.  Most of the beds seem to be occupied by slumbering forms.  Looking more closely, you can tell that they are Gnolls.  Even in the dim lighting, you can tell that this room has not been cleaned in quite some time.




Features: There are eight beds in the room, four along each side wall.  Various bits of garbage, pieces of broken pottery, and human bones are scattered about the room.  At the end of the room, opposite the door, a small wooden idol of Hrauk sits on a wall shelf.

Encounter: 

Room State:
Night(EL 3):  Three slackers are dicing between the beds near the door.  They have been drinking heavily, and their grumbling can be heard with a DC 5 Listen check.
Day(EL 4):  Four Gnolls are in a deep slumber. Snoring can be heard from the hall with a DC 5 Listen check.  Waking them will result in a large, noisy battle.  If a light source is brought into the room, the Gnolls will wake up, though light from the corridor will not affect them.
Evening(EL 2):  As Day, but there are only 2 Gnolls here.

In all cases, refer to Room 6 if combat begins.

Gnolls: CR 1; LA +1; Medium humanoid; HD 2d8+2; hp 11; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk Battleaxe +3 melee (1d8+2/x3) or shortbow +1 ranged (1d6/x3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA -; SQ darkvision 60 ft.; AL (Usually) CE; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8.
Languages: Gnoll 
Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spot +3; Power Attack. 
Possessions: battleaxe, leather armor, heavy steel shield, shortbow, arrows (40). 

If attacked, the Gnolls will attempt to draw the PCs into the room with taunts and swarm around them.  One of them will try to get past the party, shouting about the intruders, to find 1d4+1 reinforcements who will arrive ten rounds later.

Other Features:  In or under each bed, 2d12x10 cp and 1d12 sp can be found.  1d6 Daggers may be found about the room, as well.  Behind the idol on the shelf, a secret panel (Search DC 20) can be slid aside to reveal a bag filled with 6 amethysts, each valued at 100 gp.

Notes:  If combat starts in Room 2 or 6, the Gnolls in this room will make Listen checks (DC 0, with the Gnolls taking a –16 penalty on their rolls if sleeping and –11 if gambling for hearing combat in Room 2; -15/-10 for Room 6).  If gambling Gnolls make their Listen check, one of them must also make a DC 15 Wisdom check or ignore the noises outside.  In all cases, the Gnolls will ignore all sound from Room 5; they are used to hearing their shaman (recently dead in Room 14) and Nazgra in there.

-----------------------

Edit:  Word doc uploaded.


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## Trainz (May 25, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> Chacal should - I would think - be the non-proprietary generic version of Anubis, the jackal-headed god that appears in the original tomb motif.
> The non-proprietary gnoll god would presumably be different. I could write one up if it's thought necessary, though my gnoll god would in no way resemble Youknowwho.



thullgrim already did a write up for the gnollish divinity post 42


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## tarchon (May 25, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> thullgrim already did a write up for the gnollish divinity post 42



He wrote up a god who seems to be a jackal god in some parts and a hyena god in some parts, based apparently on the fairly common belief among people who live in North America, who've never seen either jackals or hyenas, that jackals and hyenas are the same thing.  It is fantasy, OK, but I'm just saying that one might consider that it might make sense to take this one god that was conceived out of confusion between a small wild dog and a big, smelly matriarchal quasi-cat and divide it into two separate gods.


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## fnork de sporg (May 25, 2004)

I would like to do my aprt in room number 11. I will have it up as shortly as possible.

And my name is Alexander P. Y. Fitzhugh.


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## Trainz (May 25, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> He wrote up a god who seems to be a jackal god in some parts and a hyena god in some parts, based apparently on the fairly common belief among people who live in North America, who've never seen either jackals or hyenas, that jackals and hyenas are the same thing. It is fantasy, OK, but I'm just saying that one might consider that it might make sense to take this one god that was conceived out of confusion between a small wild dog and a big, smelly matriarchal quasi-cat and divide it into two separate gods.



He might have been confused by the jackal statues or room 1. We could ask him to change the name and give it a hyena head.

We could call it Vilnamog or somesuch...

What do you think thullgrim ?


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## John Q. Mayhem (May 25, 2004)

*Room 16 - The Crypt of Aris *(Ben Tiefenback [John Q. Mayhem])
*Door:* A metal-bound wooden door. The door is locked, but most of the wood has rotted away, leaving it fragile and easily breakable. Locked (DC 25) Break DC 13. Hardness 5, Hit points 5.


> As you enter the room a blast of air and the stench of funeral spice hit you. This was evidently a tomb for a favoured wife; the walls are covered with complex bas-relief images. However, when you look closer, you see that the pictures portray hideous rituals and monstrous creatures. On the far wall above a stone sarcophagus there are letters scrawled on the wall in a brownish substance. They are in Abyssal, and spell "No rest for the unfaithful."



*Traps :* When someone moves the sarcophagus lid. Poison Needle Trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; repair reset; lock bypass (Open Lock DC 30); Atk +17 melee (1 plus poison, needle); poison (Ghoul fever, Fortitude DC 15, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex. An afflicted humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast, not a ghoul.); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 17. Market Price: 4,720 gp.
*Features :* This small room is lined with columns. The sarcophagus occupies a central location, against the far wall. Flanking it are two statues of the jackal-creatures that have become a familiar sight to you.
*Encounter :* The sarcophagus contains the body of a wife of Toth Nekamek, punished with eternity as an undead beast for her imagined unfaithfulness. 

Aris Jeal su Nekamek
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 4d12+3 (29 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+3 plus paralysis)
Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+3 plus paralysis) and 2 claws +3 melee (1d4+1 plus paralysis)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Ghoul fever, paralyis, stench
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., undead traits, +2 turn resistance
Saves:Fort 1, Ref 1+3, Will 4+2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 17, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills: Balance 4+3, Climb 6+3, Hide 5+3, Jump 6+3, Move Silently 5+3, Spot 6+2
Feats: Multiattack, Toughness
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–4), or pack (2–4 plus 7–12 ghouls)
Challange Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 5–8 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

Combat

Ghoul Fever (Su): Disease—bite, Fortitude DC 15, incubation period 1 day, damage 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex. The save DC is Charisma-based. An afflicted humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast, not a ghoul.

Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a ghast’s bite or claw attack must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Even elves can be affected by this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Stench (Ex): The stink of death and corruption surrounding these creatures is overwhelming. Living creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6+4 minutes. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same ghast’s stench for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from a sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Aris su Nekamek has been terribly warped, both by the ghoul poison and the centuries alone in darkness. She will attempt to grapple the first person who opens the sarcophagus, perhaps in the belief that she is taking revenge upon Toth Nekamek. If this fails, she will continue attacking one person until they are paralyzed, then attack another. If half of the party is paralyzed, she will begin to coup de gras paralyzed characters, starting with the first one paralyzed.

*Other Features :* Aris su Nekamek has torn off her ceremonial jewelry. It lies in the bottom of the sarcophagus. This jewelry is worth about 800 gp, but much more to a collector of such things.
*Notes :* Aris su Nekamek was the most favoured wife of Toth Nekamek. She was unfairly accused of infidelity by some of the lesser wives, who planted evidence against her. Aris was exposed to ghoul fever, a hideous supernatural disease that animates those who die from it as undead. She was then buried alive, and a trap set in hopes that the (fictional) paramour would attempt go to her crypt.


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

I am very flexible about the name and appearance and such.  I was simply writing a deity to act as a patron for some gnollish tribes.  As such I think renaming him to avoid confusion is a good idea, along with editing to make sure there is little confusion.  I want him to resemble more hyena than jackal.  I will take care of that today.

What I was thinking in regards to the jackal statues was this was a complex of a rival god whom the gnollish deity vanquished.  He then sent some of his followers here to recover an artifact of the jackal deity that would be useful to his own followers.  Perhaps some kind of device of canine control or something that allows a gnoll to act like a lycanthrope.

Thullgrim


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

Edited post #42 for naming and clarification.  Please read and let me know if anything else needs to be changed.

Thullgrim


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## Elephant (May 25, 2004)

I'm rather new at designing encounters, so I'd appreciate comments on my setup for Rooms 4 and 6 (post #67).  Specifically, I'm wondering about the following:  Is the randomized room state a good thing?  Do I have the ELs arranged correctly?  Are there too many Gnolls?  Should I avoid using the Gnolls mentioned in other rooms?

Thanks in advance


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## Shallown (May 25, 2004)

Elephant The problem with random Set up like that is where are they when not in the room. Its alright to set up the room as dynamic but is usually easier to do it by a time schedule (in my opinion) and say where they are if not there. Putting them somewhere else is a little harder in this sort of cooperative dungeon, not wanting to tread on others toes. 

Also tempting a party kill on a random roll is an iffy idea. No problem having a challenge they can't overcome but need to flee from is okay if you make the situation obvious to some extent. Doing it at random is very risky.



Just a small bit of advice 

Later


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

*Room -3 Shrine to Hrauk* (Shannon ‘Thullgrim’ Troester)


> Opening the doors into this room your senses are assaulted by the stench of death.  The large room is flanked down both sides by large granite columns with carved likenesses of the jackal headed humanoids from the statues you have already seen.  At the far end of a large room stands an altar with a woman screaming and struggling against her bonds.
> 
> Behind the altar stands a large gnoll wearing yellow robes stained with blood.  There is a small winged creature hovering near his shoulder.  Draped one the ceiling beyond the altar is a huge yellow banner bearing the emblem of a grinning gnollish skull flanked by bat wings.
> 
> Between you and the altar is a gnoll, larger than any you have seen thus far.  Off to the right side of the room there appears to be a side passage, a small group of people can be seen bound there.




*Door:* On the north side of the room is a strong wooden door behind the row of columns.  The door is unlocked but can be locked by using the key found with Karak.  When locked the door has the following statistics Break DC 25, Hardness5, 20 Hit Points.

*Traps:* None

*Features:*
The columns are carved in the same likeness as the statues outside this room; a likeness of a jackal headed humanoid.  A successful Knowledge(religion) DC 20 yields the following: The jackal headed statues are  associated with a deity revered by werecreatures.

The banner hanging above the altar is associated with the gnollish deity Hrauk, this can be determined with a successful Knowledge(religion) DC 20.

The altar is carved with grinning jackal heads, appears to be cut from a single block of granite.  It has been reconsecrated to the worship of Hrauk.  It currently holds a bound human female.  The altar is stained with blood.

*Encounter (EL 6-8):* This room contains 3 combatants: the warband leader, and the priest of Hrauk and his Quasit companion.  In addition there are the 4 bound prisoners and one prisoner bound to the altar.  This has the potential to be a difficult encounter.  The characters must be quick about dispatching Karak and Bagrak before Shatrix brings reinforcements.

*Bagrak * (warband leader) Medium Humanoid (Gnoll) Ftr2; CR 3; HD 2d8+2+2d10+4; hp 30; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; AC 13 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +3; Grp +6; Atk Greataxe +8 melee (1d12+4/x3) or shortbow +3 ranged (1d6/x3); Full Atk Greataxe +8 melee (1d12+4/x3) or shortbow +3 ranged (1d6/x3); SA -; SQ Darkvision 60 ft.; AL neutral evil; SV Fort +7, Ref +0, Will +2; Str 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10
*Skills:* Listen +2, Spot +3, Climb +8, Handle Animal +3, Intimidate +8, Jump +5
*Feats:* Power Attack, Cleave, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (Greataxe)
*Possessions:* MW Greataxe, Leather Armor, 7gp, 6sp.

*Fang Karak* Medium Humanoid (Gnoll) Clr2; CR 3; HD 2d8+2+2d8+4; hp 24;Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; AC 13 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor,), touch 10, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +2; Grp +4; Atk Dire Flail +4 melee (1d8+3/x3) or shortbow +2 ranged (1d6/x3); Full Atk Dire Flail +2/+2 melee (1d8+2/1d8 +1/x3) or shortbow +2 ranged (1d6/x3);SA -; SQ Darkvision 60 ft., Smite, +1 caster level to Evil spells; AL chaotic evil; SV Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +4;Str 14, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 12
*Languages:* Gnoll, Common
*Skills:* Listen +4, Spot +5, Concentration +7, Diplomacy +3, Knowledge (religion) +6, Spellcraft +5
*Feats:* Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Dire Flail), Two Weapon Fighting
*Smite (su):* 1/day you may make a single melee attack with a bonus of +4 on attack and a damage bonus equal to your cleric level.
*Spellcasting:* (Evil, Destruction)
0 Level: _Guidance, Light, Read Magic, Detect Magic_
1st Level (DC 13):  _Inflict Light Wounds (d), Cause Fear, Command, Doom_*Possessions:* Dire Flail, Leather Armor, Holy symbol, Lapis Lazuli (10gp), cat-o-nine tails, small curved dagger, flaying knife, key.

*Shastrix (Quasit)* Tiny Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil); CR 2; HD 3d8; hp 13;Init +7; Spd 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect); Space/Reach 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.; AC 18 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +3; Grp -6; Atk Claw +8 melee (1d3-1 plus poison); Full Atk 2 claws +8 melee (1d3-1 plus poison) and bite +3 melee (1d4-1); SA Poison, spell-like abilities; SQ Alternate form, damage reduction 5/cold iron or good, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 2, immunity to poison, resistance to fire 10; AL Always chaotic evil; SV Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +4; Str 8, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10
*Skills:* Bluff +6, Diplomacy +2, Disguise +0 (+2 acting), Hide +17, Intimidate +2, Knowledge (any one) +6, Listen +7, Move Silently +9, Search +6, Spellcraft +6, Spot +6 
*Feats:* Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
*Spell-Like Abilities:* At will-detect good, detect magic, and invisibility (self only); 1/day-cause fear (as the spell, except that its area is a 30-foot radius from the quasit, save DC 11). Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. Once per week a quasit can use commune to ask six questions. The ability otherwise works as the spell (caster level 12th). 
*Alternate Form(Su):* A quasit can assume other forms at will as a standard action. This ability functions as a polymorph spell cast on itself (caster level 12th), except that a quasit does not regain hit points for changing form, and any individual quasit can assume only one or two forms no larger than Medium. Common forms include bat, monstrous centipede, toad, and wolf. A quasit in alternate form loses its poison attack.
*Poison(Ex):* Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial damage 1d4 Dex, secondary damage 2d4 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus

*Combat/Development:*
Once the inhabitants become aware of the intruders they quickly respond.  Shastrix goes for more help.  Bagrak immediately draws his axe and heads towards the intruders.  Karak cast his spells in the following order and then proceeds into the melee.

Round #1: _cause fear _ on any obvious spellcaster, if none is present, then on the strongest looking fighter.

Round #2: _Doom_ on any fighter in melee with Bagrak.

Round #3: Karak comes down from the altar and melees with the intruders.  He and Bagrak fight intelligently together, concentrating on one opponent at a time.  By round 3 Shastrix should be back with 1d4 gnolls from the surrounding rooms.  As they arrive they join the combat when they can.

Should the player’s free the bound prisoners they will assist in the fighting as best they can.  The prisoners consist of the following:
*Name   Race   Sex        Class   Condition*
Marik       Hum     Male      Ftr2     bound, unarmed
Eolis        Elf       Male      Wiz2     bound, unarmed and without spells.
Marin	 Hum     Female   Rng2    bound, unarmed
Aleen      Hum      Female   Clr2     Currently strapped to altar, without spells


The group was captured assaulting the gnolls in order to prevent them from recovering the artifact hidden further in the tomb.  They know what the object is, but not how to locate it.  They were sent here by one of the nature deities or a druid in order to prevent the gnolls from acquiring the artifact.

The gnolls know there is a powerful artifact hidden within the complex though they have not located it yet.  Shastrix knows about the babau guardian.  The gnolls can converse with the guardian through Shastrix and hopefully gain the artifact without having to combat the demon himself.  The demon was a servant of a rival of Hrauk whom Hrauk later vanquished and now he directs his followers to collect artifacts from that deity that may be of use to them.

*Notes:*  This room was once the sanctuary of the temple.  It was dedicated to the worship of the jackal headed deity depicted on the statues.  The gnolls have rededicated the altar to the worship of Hrauk


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## Conaill (May 25, 2004)

Yikes, Thulgrim! Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a *level 3* adventure! EL 6-8 is just going to wipe the floor with the party, especially this early in the dungeon (they will presumably have gone up a level by the time they reach #21).

I would get rid of the quasit altogether. If it's played well, there's no way the party can prevent it from getting help (invisibility at will - remember?) from any of the dozen or so other gnolls in the complex. The Gnoll Ftr2 and Clr2 are an EL 5 encounter by themselves, which is a challenging encounter for a 3rd lvl party.

Edit: You may also want to try avoid having four 2nd level NPCs following the party around for the rest of the encounter. The Wiz and Clr may be out of spells, but the Ftr2 and Rgr2 would be valuable allies. And if the party decides to rest for a night after clearing out the front half of the dungeon, they'll have two more spellcasters as well. I would recommend you find a reason to send them away, so the PCs won't have a troupe of NPCs tagging along. Chopped off limbs, burned out eyes, madness (always a good one to drop a few prophetic hints)... anything that can't be solved by a simple Cure Light from a 3rd level Cleric. Have the released prisoners head back to their village, with a promise that they'll send reinforcements - that also sets up an opportunity to bail out the party later if need be.


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

I am so used to planning for a larger group of players (usually 6-7) that I think I had those numbers in mind rather than the standard 4.  In any case I want a tough encounter I just don't know how tough.  Let me think some on how to tone it down.

I think I like the quasit but I think if I change its location to over by the captives, then have it flee down the closed the doors, the party can deal with the cleric and fighter, and bar the door to prepare for reinforcements.  At least thats how I envisioned it.

The other option for the party is to free the prisoners who can actually help, especially in holding the door while the pcs finish off the two enemies in the room.

again let me think about it some before I change it.

Thullgrim


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## Trainz (May 25, 2004)

All right guys, time to check deadlines, sorry...

The following rooms are past due, but I will give you guys the next six hours to either finish them or make your presence known, so that you can ask for an extension or somesuch:

*Thullgrim *Room 2
*Wycen *Room 7
*The Forsaken One *Room 17
*Jester47 *Room 19

Thanks !


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

will have 2 done today, probably this afternoon.  Am working on it as we speak.

Thullgrim


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## The Forsaken One (May 25, 2004)

Nr. 17 will be done tonight (for me that's within the next 4 hours).


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

*Room -2 Entry Hall of the Jackal* (Shannon ‘Thullgrim’ Troester)


> With much effort you push open the stone doors and find yourselves in an ornate hall.  The hall runs about three paces and each wall holds a masterfully constructed inlaid mosaic mural.  The hall opens into a larger room, with two stone doors opposite where you are standing.  Standing before the door between two statues are a pair of gnolls obviously on guard.




When the two guards see the intruders coming down the hall, or open the door even, they charge down the hall with a mighty yell. *See encounter below.*



> After defeating the guards you get a moment to examine your surroundings in more detail.  Looking around the room you notice hallways heading north and south, along with carved stone double doors on the west wall.  The Doors are emblazoned with images of Jackal and a Man facing each other, one on each door.  Flanking the door two statues, each depicts a canine human hybrid creature holding a large sword resembling a falchion.  Several columns are located near the doors.  Each is engraved with a repeating pictogram pattern.
> 
> Also in the room, in the northeast corner, is a large pile of crates and bags.  Looking down each hallway you can see more doors.




*Door:* Double stone doors opening inward.  Hinges are located on the inside of the doors.  Doors are trapped with a mechanical trap.  Attempting to open the doors without bypassing the trap via a hidden switch causes the swords each statue holds to be swung inwards towards the door.  Doors:  locked; hardness 8; hit point 60; break DC 28.

*Traps:  Swinging Falchion Trap:* CR1; mechanical; touch trigger (attempting to open the doors); automatic reset; hidden bypass switch Search DC 25 (replacing the missing eye); Atk +10 (2d4,18-20/x2); Search DC 21 to locate the trap; Disable Device DC 20.

*Features:* 
_Murals:_ On one wall the mural depict scenes of running jackals, leaping through tall grass, hunting prey, and then gorging on their catch.  The opposite wall depicts several progressive scenes, a group of jackals gathered around a fire on the night of a full moon, a group of what appear to be half-man half-jackal hybrids dancing around the fire, and finally a group of men.  The men are dressed simply, in robes of white bound in gold rope.  They are all thin with long heads and torsos.  Most are depicted as dark complexioned though one or two appear to have had lighter skin.  Each sports a goatee.

_Columns:_ There seems to be no beginning or end to the pattern just three simple images.  The first is a thin four legged canine.  The second image is of a canine humanoid hybrid, while the third is a human with thin features.  These are much simpler images compared with the murals in the entry hall but are obviously related in subject matter.

_Statues:_ The statues each have the lapis lazuli eyes that the exterior statues possessed.  One of the eyes is missing from the statue on the left. 

_Doors:_ The left door is emblazoned with the human face, while the right door has the jackal head on it.  The features of the man are strange; he has a long face with narrow eyes and is wearing a long thin goatee.

_Crates, packs, and bags:_  The crates and bags contain various trade goods which the gnolls obtained by robbing a caravan several days ago.  The survivors of the raid are being held in room #3 awaiting sacrifice.  There are also several packs here which contain various standard adventuring gear, which was owned by the captives.  Weapons, armor and such are also found here.  *This is left vague for the individual DM to hand out.  If necessary let me know and I will fill it in.*

*Encounter (EL2):* The gnolls are on guard here.  They attack the intruders upon sight.  The will attempt to make as much noise as possible during the fight hoping to draw more gnolls to the area.  Under no condition will the cleric of warleader from room #3 respond to the commotion as they are in the midst of a ceremony.

*Gnoll(2) * Medium Humanoid (Gnoll); CR 1; HD 2d8+2; hp 11,13;
Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; AC 15 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk Battleaxe +3 melee (1d8+2/x3) or shortbow +1 ranged (1d6/x3); Full Atk Battleaxe +3 melee (1d8+2/x3) or shortbow +1 ranged (1d6/x3);SA -; SQ Darkvision 60 ft.; AL Usually chaotic evil; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0;Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8
*Languages:* Gnoll
*Skills:* Listen +2, Spot +3
*Feats:* Power Attack

*Combat/Development:*
If captured alive and put to the test each gnoll knows approximately hom many total gnolls there are in the complex.  They know how long they have been here and that there is a ceremony being performed in the next room.  They also know of the captives that are going to be sacrificed.  They are warriors and are tired of doing slave work (referring to the digging).

This information may be obtained through several methods, evil parties may use torture.  Bribery might also work if the offer includes freedom and a small amount of money or a weapon.  

*Notes:*  This room was once the entry hall of the temple to the jackal god.  When active this room was filled with burning incense and dancing, chanting worshippers


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

I'm currently working on a puzzle key for the door to room 21 (the puzzle is not mandatory, solving it disables the doors myriad traps, but the door and traps can be bypassed without solving the puzzle).

The puzzle requires assembling keys from several parts, and while I could put all the parts in my other room (room 8), I'd like to spread the keys around. So I'm looking for volunteers willing to insert these keys into their rooms.


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

Yeah, I can hide one in the altar in room#3 or wherever you would like.  Just let me know what it looks like (if its not a conventional key shape) and I will put in either 2 (as part of the mosaic maybe).

Thullgrim


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## The Forsaken One (May 25, 2004)

I can hide one in 17, what are the details?


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## Conaill (May 25, 2004)

Hey Phineas, here's some ideas for #21...

I've been drawing inspiration from Tutankhamen's tomb to design the encounter in #20, including curses, etc. The supposed "curse of the Pharaoh" goes as follows:

"They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be visited by wings of death."

There's actually no such inscription in King Tut's tomb, however there *is* an inscription as follows on the shrine of Anubis:

"It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chamber. I am for the protection of the deceased."

To which an imaginative journalist added:

"and I will kill all those who cross this threshold into the sacred precincts of the Royal King who lives forever."

I'm thinking of having some or all three of these lines spoken out loud by my awakened jackal cleric, as part of an invokation of "Bestow Curse". 

It would be fun if we could also have "wings of death" and/or "sand choking the secret chamber" either in #20 or #21. So far, I'm not planning on using either in #20, but let me know if you're interested in doing anything with this.

Here's some images for inspiration... 

1) Howard Carter's view of the statue of Anubis guarding the doorway to the Treasury:

2) A close-up of the statue of Anubis, aka Yinepu, the Awakened jackal Clr3 guardian of the tomb:

[both moved to the actual post: Room 20 - Yinepu's Vigil]

Note the gold necklace around his neck... haven't yet decided what to do with that, but it could very well serve as one of your keys. Maybe the one that disables the pit trap below the door, which fills up with sand as soon as someone falls into it? ("It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chamber.")


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

thullgrim said:
			
		

> Yeah, I can hide one in the altar in room#3 or wherever you would like.  Just let me know what it looks like (if its not a conventional key shape) and I will put in either 2 (as part of the mosaic maybe).
> 
> Thullgrim




ok, here is your key

Iron Scarab figurine: A tiny scarab beetle fashioned from iron with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Mekharr” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.

I'll post The Forsaken One's next, and will post them as people volunteer.


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

The Forsaken One said:
			
		

> I can hide one in 17, what are the details?




And here is your key...

Sandstone Hippo figurine: A tiny hippo carved from sandstone with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Nehes” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.


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## Wycen (May 25, 2004)

I will finish mine today.


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Hey Phineas, here's some ideas for #21...
> 
> [snip]




I'm still not sure what I plan to do with the actual room 21, I did have a thought on doing something with curse of the mummy myths. I also have other ideas and a list of possible minions (its hard to find good minions without raising the EL too high, the babau is CR 6 on its own).

If you want to do something with the "wings of death" / "choking sand" for your room 20 go for it.


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## Trainz (May 25, 2004)

All right guys, thanks for everything so far. Nice to see you starting work on room synergies.

The only unacounted for is *Jester 47 Room 19*. In 3 hours his room will become available again, unless he gives a sign. If someone "sees" him in a thread, I invite you to invite him to come give an invited sign in this inviting thread.


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## Ferret (May 25, 2004)

*Chronicles of Toth Nekamek*

*Room 13 - Chronicles of Toth Nekamek*  Created by Craig stone “Ferret”

*Door:* The door that blocks the passageway to the room is inscribed with Hieratic, a decipher script check of 20 will reveal that the phrase is “A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing”. Otherwise the door swings freely outward.

*Features:*
The walls of the room are lined with book selves, each full of books as thick as a fist, and smothered in a thick shroud of dust. The book’s chronicle Toth Nekameks life in astounding and pointless detail; what’s more is that each is written in Hieroglyphics and requires a Decipher script check of 30. A single book sticks out; it looks as though it has been recently read and it’s gold adorned cover is clear of any dust. If you can read the hieroglyphs (DC 30) on the cover, you tell that this is The Book of the Dead, or you could recognise with a knowledge: religion check (DC 18). Otherwise you can blindly open it, either way when you crack open this tome you see that the first page is made out of gold and reads, 

_Chained no more he will arise
His sarcophagus behind the sarcophagus
And there he shall lay, the desert at his feet
Oh, whence the animals flock to him he shall awaken,
Soon with the Jackal at his feet.

And His six loyal guards will rise with him
While the two traitors suffer in eternal torment
And he will reclaim his throne in the hall of celebrants, 
In songs and laughter the people will feast his return,
The Ram and Horse will await him,
Soon he will arise anew._

You find many other, unrelated passages and indecipherable scribbles between margins on the following papyrus pages. One phrase that sticks out in particular, once the players succeed a search check (DC 15) is that whoever added the extra messages believed that “things do not bode well for the Pharaoh”.

Also an observant adventurer would notice that the first book shelf on the right is in fact a cleverly disguised slab of rock, this however requires a spot check 20 to discover.

*Encounter (EL 3-4):* 
On the second square in is a pressure plate that triggers the first book shelf on your right to fall. Rock slab: CR 1; mechanical; location; manual reset; Reflex dc 15(3d6, stone); on square; Search DC 15; Disable Device DC 20. 

A lone human figure stands in the room; he seems shy and wants to be lead out of the tomb. If the party can defeat the characters bluff check (See stat block) they can tell that he is lying. If the Librarian is ‘persuaded’ he may reveal that he is in fact a doppelganger paid by one of Toth Nekamek’s enemies to be a spy inside the Kings tomb after it had been opened, however the doppelganger was taken by surprise when the Gnolls trapped it behind the Wight. If all enemies are defeated it may venture further to gain more information on the dead pharaoh, how it is unlikely that it will be co-operatve.

*Doppelganger* CR 3;Medium Shapechanger ; HD 4d8+4 (Shapechanger); hp 22; Init +1; Spd 30; AC 15; Atk +4 base melee, +4 base ranged; +4 (1d6+1, 2 Slam); SA: Detect thoughts (Su); SQ: Alter self (Su), Immunity: Charm (Ex), Immunity: Sleep (Ex); AL N; SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +6; STR 12, DEX 13, CON 12, INT 13, WIS 14, CHA 13.
*Skills and feats*: Bluff+12, Disguise+12, Listen+11, Sense Motive+6, Spot+8, Alertness, Dodge.

*Description/Combat:*
The Doppelganger first assumes a human male with flowing yellow black robes that suggests some one of high status perhaps a ritual researcher or official chronicler. Given the chance he may negotiate with the Gnolls for his safe return. 

If the doppelganger enters combat it will assume the largest and most scary form it can to better intimidate the party, however it has no weapons or armour so does not make much of an opponent. If it realises certain defeat it may change into a gnoll and run off to alert the others.

*Notes:*
If the doppelganger is allowed to leave it may lead on to a new adventure. Also note that some of Toth Nekameks enemies may be goodly.


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

I still have 5 keys that need homes (rooms).

Any more volunteers?


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## ikazuchi (May 25, 2004)

I'll take a stab at Room 12. If you've got a key for me,  Phineas Crow, I'll fit it in there.


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## tarchon (May 25, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I'm still not sure what I plan to do with the actual room 21, I did have a thought on doing something with curse of the mummy myths. I also have other ideas and a list of possible minions (its hard to find good minions without raising the EL too high, the babau is CR 6 on its own).
> 
> If you want to do something with the "wings of death" / "choking sand" for your room 20 go for it.




Yeah, seems like it'll have to be seriously hindered or the PCs seriously helped.  The DR alone will make it unbeatable for a 3rd level party.  I usually avoid using demons below 5th level, and even then it's tricky to do without a TPK.  At the very least, they're going to need access to cold-iron or good weapons.

I could find a place for a key in room 15 too, if that's a convenient spot for one.


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## Conaill (May 25, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> If you want to do something with the "wings of death" / "choking sand" for your room 20 go for it.



As I said, I'm not planning on using them so far, but do let me know if you'd like to use them.

Likewise, do you have any use for the two statues on either side of the door between #20 and #21? I have some ideas, but could just as easily use some wall paintings for the same purpose. Thought they might come in handy for your trapped door...


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

ikazuchi said:
			
		

> I'll take a stab at Room 12. If you've got a key for me,  Phineas Crow, I'll fit it in there.




Key 3 of 7: ikazuchi's key
Wooden Asp figurine: A tiny asp made from a dark wood with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Hafau” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.


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## Trainz (May 25, 2004)

A thought just occured to me... 
What if the PC's sell a few of their "keys" mid-adventure, thinking they are just low art objects... it'd be funny to see them hit the puzzle and realize that they sold two of the keys they need, running back after the buyers, begging for a sell back... heh.

Well, after 48 hours, all rooms have been dispatched. I foresee all rooms being submitted within another 2 days, meaning this adventure will be completely submitted within 4 days.

Fascinating. ENworld is really a force to behold when someone bothers to set things in motion. Incredible.


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> Yeah, seems like it'll have to be seriously hindered or the PCs seriously helped.  The DR alone will make it unbeatable for a 3rd level party.  I usually avoid using demons below 5th level, and even then it's tricky to do without a TPK.  At the very least, they're going to need access to cold-iron or good weapons.
> 
> I could find a place for a key in room 15 too, if that's a convenient spot for one.




Key 4 of 7: tarchon’s Key
Copper Ibis figurine: A tiny ibis bird forged from copper with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Tekhen” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.


By my wild guesstimation, the PC's could potentially be up to 5th level by the time they get room 21, though they are more likely be about 4th level. It depends on what the EL's are of all the rooms and whether they bother to clear them all out.

I am going to wait till most of the rooms are done before I finish the final encounter, so I can make sure its EL is right.


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> A thought just occured to me...
> What if the PC's sell a few of their "keys" mid-adventure, thinking they are just low art objects... it'd be funny to see them hit the puzzle and realize that they sold two of the keys they need, running back after the buyers, begging for a sell back... heh.




Its not a big problem, just a small shooting in the foot by the PCs. The locks can be picked or broken, they just have to worry about the traps that the keys turn off (which can be disabled too).


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## Trainz (May 25, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I am going to wait till most of the rooms are done before I finish the final encounter, so I can make sure its EL is right.



Good thinking. However, I would ask you to submit your room before the deadline, in whatever shape it is at that point, and you could always re-edit it afterwards to make adjustments.

After all rooms are submitted, this thread will be active for 2 weeks so that all submitters fine-tune the whole thing. Fine-tuning includes checking format, checking stat-blocks, *checking spelling*, and checking room synergies (which obviously is already started).


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## Conaill (May 25, 2004)

One thing we should probably decide on...

Was the transformation of Toth Nekamek into a demon *planned*, or did something go wrong? Ferret's "Chronicles of Toth Nekamek" imply that it was planned ("these rituals have infernal connections and may involve reincarnated dead as demons"). I was working under the assumption that Toth didn't plan to rise as a demon, and I was planning on having a LN guardian (to fit with the Anubis theme).

So which is it? Which would we prefer to have? What alignment is the Jackal god anyway?


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## Phineas Crow (May 25, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> As I said, I'm not planning on using them so far, but do let me know if you'd like to use them.
> 
> Likewise, do you have any use for the two statues on either side of the door between #20 and #21? I have some ideas, but could just as easily use some wall paintings for the same purpose. Thought they might come in handy for your trapped door...




Feel free to use the statues, they technically are in your room. I plan on having the door to room 21 feature a row of bas-relief statues on its surface.


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## thullgrim (May 25, 2004)

I had the jackal god as Chaotic Evil or Neutral Evil god worshipped by werejackals (see murals and columns in room #2) so that Hruak (gnoll god) could subsume him and his followers.  Let me know if that changes so I can edit descriptions as necessary.

Thullgrim


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## Conaill (May 25, 2004)

Were-jackals, eh? 

Well, I definitely do *not* want to write out the full triple-stat block for a were jackal. It might make more sense for the guardian to be a were-jackal, but I think I'll stick with an awakened jackal after all.

Any more preferences reagrding the jackals' alignment and Toth Nekamek' intentions?


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## tarchon (May 25, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Were-jackals, eh?
> 
> Well, I definitely do *not* want to write out the full triple-stat block for a were jackal. It might make more sense for the guardian to be a were-jackal, but I think I'll stick with an awakened jackal after all.
> 
> Any more preferences reagrding the jackals' alignment and Toth Nekamek' intentions?



There was a "jackalwere" in some of the older monster books, though I don't know if it survived to the 3.5 SRD.


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## Adrienne (May 25, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> There was a "jackalwere" in some of the older monster books, though I don't know if it survived to the 3.5 SRD.




I think it was in the Fiend Folio, and as I recall it was a nice CR for this dungeon, but it doesn't seem to be in the 3.5 SRD.  (In fact, I just noticed that there are no "J" monsters in the SRD.  Poor, under-represented letter.)


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## Conaill (May 26, 2004)

Phineas, if you have another key to get rid of (preferably a jackal related one), I have just the place to put it.


PS: how long do you think it will take the party to get through the door, deal with the demon, and get back out? I think I'll have #20 start filling up with sand once they slay Yinepu.


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## Phineas Crow (May 26, 2004)

*Room 21: Burial Chamber of Toth Nekamek* (H. R. McGlone “Phineas Crow”)

*Door*: The door to this room is a massive stone slab with seven large bas-reliefs of animal-headed figures carved into its surface. From left to right, the humanoids have the heads of a hippo, scarab beetle, ibis bird, crocodile, cat, ram, and an asp. Each of the figures has its hands before it as if it was grasping a non-existent staff, there is even a vertical hole where a slender object could fit into their hands.

The stone door (Hardness 8, hp 140, Break DC 28) is locked. The seven statues function as seven independent locks (each with hardness 15, hp 30, Open Lock 25) and each statue is trapped (see below). Note that anyone touching any of the statues activates its corresponding trap. To open the door the correct keys must be inserted into the correct statues. However the seven locks and their traps can be disabled, or the door can be broken open or destroyed.

*Hippo-headed Statue Lock*: Trapped with a burning oil trap. The Red Hippo key unlocks the lock and disables the trap.
 - Burning Oil trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; repair reset; multiple targets (all targets within 10 ft of the trap); 1d6 fire damage (DC 18 Reflex save half damage); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 25.

*Scarab-headed Statue Lock*: Trapped with a whirling blade trap. The Blue Scarab key unlocks the lock and disables the trap.
 - Whirling Blade trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; Atk +16 melee (2d4+2/x4); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 25.

*Ibis-headed Statue Lock*: Trapped with a floor spikes trap. The White Ibis key unlocks the lock and disables the trap.
 - Floor Spikes trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; Atk +10 melee (1d8+4, spikes); multiple targets (closest target in each of two adjacent 5-ft. squares); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 25.

*Crocodile-headed Statue Lock*: Trapped with an acid spray trap. The Green Crocodile key unlocks the lock and disables the trap.
 - Acid Spray trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; repair reset; multiple targets (all targets within 10 ft of the trap); Atk +15 melee touch (2d4 acid damage), DC 18 Reflex save half damage; Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 25.

*Cat-headed Statue Lock*: Trapped with a pit trap. The Yellow Cat key unlocks the lock and disables the trap.
 - Pit trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; DC 20 Reflex save avoids; 30 ft. deep (3d6, fall); multiple targets (first target in each of two adjacent 5-ft. squares); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 25.

*Ram-headed Statue Lock*: Trapped with a falling bricks trap. The Purple Ram key unlocks the lock and disables the trap.
 - Falling Bricks trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; repair reset; Atk +14 melee (1d8+2, bricks); multiple targets (all targets in two adjacent 5-ft. squares); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 25.

*Asp-headed Statue Lock*: Trapped with a poison dart trap. The Orange Asp key unlocks the lock and disables the trap.
 - Poison Dart trap: CR 2; mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; Atk +8 ranged (1d4 plus poison, dart); poison (bloodroot, DC 12 Fortitude save resists, 0/1d4 Con plus 1d3 Wis); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 25.

*Ad Hoc XP Adjustment*: Together the traps are equal to a CR 4 encounter for purposes of determining experience. However, if all the traps are disabled using the correct keys, award the PCs 150% of the experience for solving the door puzzle.

*Assembling the keys*: Here are the correct key combinations, if an incorrectly created key is inserted into one of the statues the statue’s trap is activated.

The red rod from room 8 and the hippo figurine from room 17 combine into the red hippo key.
The blue rod from room 8 and the scarab figurine from room X combine into the blue scarab key.
The white rod from room 8 and the ibis figurine from room 15 combine into the white ibis key.
The green rod from room 8 and the crocodile figurine from room 20 combine into the green crocodile key.
The yellow rod from room 8 and the cat figurine from room 17 combine into the yellow cat key.
The purple rod from room 8 and the ram figurine from room 17 combine into the purple ram key.
The orange rod from room 8 and the asp figurine from room 12 combine into the orange asp key.



> Before you is a long chamber with a floor of polished red granite tiles. Soaring sandstone columns with gold inlays line the walls, the gold ornamentation glows from the fires burning in low iron braziers that are set evenly about the room. The columns reach into the fathomless darkness high above, beyond the light cast by the braziers. Fading mural painting cover the walls, depicting the life of a king, from his birth to his last funeral rites and final entombment. At the far end of the room is an immense stone dais carved from a single block of red granite. On top of the dais is an open stone sarcophagus which is flanked by statues of a massive serpent and of a large crocodile.




Features: The vaulted ceiling of the chamber raises up to 60 feet high with the top 20 feet shrouded in darkness. Hidden in the darkness, at 50 feet up, is a small alcove that overlooks the sarcophagus. Within the alcove are 4 canopic jars like the ones in room 8, a small gold gilded wooden box, and a hidden (Search DC 24) button which Chaos used to unlock the sarcophagus below.

*Gold Gilded Wooden Box* (Hardness 2, hp 5, Break DC 14, Open Lock DC 24): The box is ancient and its wood is extremely dry and brittle, making it easy to open. However, if left undamaged, the box itself is worth 200 gp. Inside the box is a crumbling leather pouch with 46 stone coins (each worth 5 gp to a collector), a jewel encrusted masterwork dagger (worth 750 gp), an ivory scroll tube (100 gp) with a divine scroll of cure light wounds, a divine scroll of cat’s grace, and a divine scroll of lesser restoration.

The walls are stuccoed and relatively free of cracks making them difficult to climb (DC 30). The columns, however, have horizontal gaps between the column segments which can be used for hand and foot holds (Climb DC 20).

The stone sarcophagus is open and its lid lays next to it. Inside is an ancient mummy wearing four gold bracelets (50 gp each) and a gold amulet (200 gp). 

*Encounter (EL 7)*: Chaos, the Babau, only dimly remembers his former life. Long ago he once was a human king named Toth Nekamek. When Toth died his soul was sent to one of the lower planes, where he wandered for over a millennium before being granted his current form as a babau by a greater demon in exchange for eternal servitude.

Chaos, after centuries of toiling under his demonic lord, left his master to seek out the tomb of his body, hoping to resurrect it and live once again as the powerful king Toth Nekamek. Unfortunately, Chaos had little concept of how much time had passed since he died and when he finally located his tomb his former body had been buried for over two millennia, far beyond any chances of a resurrection.

While initially disheartened by his discovery, Chaos eventually accepted his fate and decided on a new course of action. Using his tomb as a base, Chaos plans to start a cult devoted to the worship of Toth Nekamek as a way to spread disorder and mayhem upon the world. Chaos hopes that as the cult grows so will his demonic powers until he eventually becomes a demon lord.

It was Chaos who led the gnolls here by secretly feeding them rumors of a treasure filled tomb, in hopes of enslaving them. To either be converted or sacrificed, depending on Chaos's whim. Syl’r, a fiendish grimlock cleric, whom Chaos met during his time in the lower planes, has been appointed to run the cult as leader. They also hope to bring in some more chaotic creatures into the fold and have been scouting for some, but haven't had much luck.

The reason the cult of Toth Nekamek has yet to develop stems from Chaos's lack of coherent planning. His mind is a jumble of chaotic ideas, ever-changing, and never truely in focus. With his plans changing almost every instant, Chaos is usually mired in indecision about what to do next.

*Tactics*: When the PCs enter the room Syl’r, covered in dark robes to hide his identity, stands in front of the sarcophagus. He greets the PCs and asks them if they are here to worship the great king Toth. He will answer any questions and if asked he will state that he is here to establish a religion based upon the dead king. While Syl’r keeps the PCs distracted Chaos hides behind one of the columns.

When Syl’r feels that his stalling has gone on long enough he will pull the bronze ring out of his robes which Chaos has previously cast the spell _darkness_ on, cloaking him in shadowy darkness. The _darkness_ spell will wear off in an hour. This is Chaos’s cue to attack, teleporting near the strongest looking opponent and focusing his attack against them. Syl’r, protected by the _darkness_ spell, will attempt to take down any spell casting foes.

Chaos will not attempt use his special ability to summon a demon since he is trying to keep a low profile from his demonic brethren, lest his demon lord find out what he is planning.

*Chaos, Babau Demon*: CR 6; Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil); HD 7d8+35; hp 66; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 20 (+1 Dex, +8 natural, +1 deflection), touch 12, flat-footed 19; Base Atk +7; Grp +12; Atk Claw +12 melee (1d6+5); Full Atk 2 claws +12 melee (1d6+5) and bite +7 melee (1d6+2); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA sneak attack +2d6, spell-like abilities, summon demon; SQ acid resistance 10, cold resistance 10, damage reduction 10/cold iron or good, darkvision 60 ft., electricity immunity, fire resistance 10, poison immunity, protective slime, spell resistance 14, telepathy 100 ft.; AL CE; SV Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +6; Str 21, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 16.
*Skills and Feats*: Climb +15, Disable Device +12, Disguise +13, Escape Artist +11, Hide +19, Listen +19, Move Silently +19, Open Lock +11, Search +20, Sleight of Hand +11, Survival +1 (+3 following tracks), Use Rope +1 (+3 with bindings); Cleave, Multiattack, Power Attack

*Sneak Attack (Ex)*: A babau can make a sneak attack like a rogue, dealing an extra 2d6 points of damage whenever a foe is denied his or her Dexterity bonus, or when the babau is flanking.

*Spell-Like Abilities*: At will—darkness, dispel magic, see invisibility, greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only). Caster level 7th.

*Protective Slime (Su)*: A slimy red jelly coats the babau’s skin. Any weapon that touches it takes 1d8 points of acid damage from the corrosive goo, and the weapon’s hardness does not reduce this damage. A magic weapon may attempt a DC 18 Reflex save to avoid taking this damage. A creature who strikes the babau with an unarmed attack, unarmed strike, touch spell, or natural weapon takes this damage as well but can negate the damage with a DC 18 Reflex save. The save DCs are Constitution-based.

*Summon Demon (Sp)*: Once per day a babau can attempt to summon 1 babau with a 40% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd-level spell.

*Possessions*: Death Mask of King Toth Nekamek

*Death Mask of King Toth Nekamek*: This golden mask is fashioned to resemble the head of a jackal. The mask bestows on its wearer a +1 deflection bonus to armor and a +2 competence bonus on Sense Motive and Spot skill checks.
Faint divination; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, shield of faith, owl’s wisdom; Market Price: 4200 gp
The Death Mask of King Toth Nekamek can fetch a greater than market price because of its age, uniqueness, and gold construction. Art collectors would be willing to purchase it for 5000 gp.


*Syl‘r, Fiendish Grimlock Clr 3*: CR 5; Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Extraplanar); HD 2d8+6 (grimlock) plus 3d8+9 (clr); hp 37; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +4; Grp +5; Atk Masterwork battleaxe +6 melee (1d8+2/x3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA Smite good, spells; SQ Blindsight 40 ft., damage reduction 5/magic, immunities, rebuke undead 1/day, resistance to cold 5 and fire 5, scent; AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +7; Str 12, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 6.
*Skills and Feats*: Bluff +1, Climb +4, Concentration +5, Disguise +1, Hide +6, Knowledge (the planes) +4, Listen +6, Spellcraft +3, Spot +6; Alertness, Improved natural armor

Blindsight (Ex): Grimlocks can sense all foes within 40 feet as a sighted creature would. Beyond that range, they treat all targets as having total concealment. 

Grimlocks are susceptible to sound- and scent-based attacks, however, and are affected normally by loud noises and sonic spells (such as ghost sound or silence) and overpowering odors (such as stinking cloud or incense-heavy air). Negating a grimlock’s sense of smell or hearing reduces this ability to normal Blind-Fight (as the feat). If both these senses are negated, a grimlock is effectively blinded. 

Smite Good (Su): Once per day Syl’r can make a normal melee attack to deal +5 additional damage against a good foe.

Immunities: Grimlocks are immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.

Cleric Spells Prepared: (4/3/2; save DC 12 + spell level): 0- _detect magic_, _guidance_, _inflict minor wounds_, _read magic_; 1st- _command_, _doom_, _entropic shield_, _protection from law_*; 2nd- _cure moderate wounds_, _enthrall_, _invisibility_*.

*_Domain spell. Domains_: Chaos (cast chaos spells at +1 caster level), Trickery (Bluff, Disguise, and Hide are class skills). 

*Possessions*: Masterwork battleaxe, black jackal key, potion of bull’s strength, bronze ring (15 gp) with _darkness_ (caster level 7th) cast on it.

*Black Jackal key*: This is the master key to the tomb. It consists of a tiny onyx jackal figurine fastened to a black crystalline rod with four buttons below the jackal figurine. Each of the buttons is etched with symbols, the first has the head of a jackal, the second has a scroll, the third has seven bones in a line, and the fourth has an urn and a sheaf of wheat.  If detected, the key gives off an aura of moderate conjuration magic.

Three times per day the key can be used to teleport to a specific location if the command words (Toth Nekamek) are spoken and on of the buttons is pressed, other than that the effect is similar to a _teleport_ spell. 

Pressing the jackal head button teleports the user to room 21.
Pressing the scroll button teleports the user to room 12.
Pressing the seven bones button teleports the user to room 8.
Pressing the urn and wheat button teleports the user a mile away from the tomb in a random direction while the key teleports back to its resting place within the sarcophagus in room 21.

If the user tries to teleport to the same room that they are currently in, they are instead teleported to just outside the tomb (area 1).

The key will only function while in the tomb, any attempts to activate the key while outside the tomb automatically fail. If sold, the key can fetch 100 gp (50 gp for the black crystal rod and 50 gp for the onyx jackal figurine).


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## Wycen (May 26, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I'm currently working on a puzzle key for the door to room 21 (the puzzle is not mandatory, solving it disables the doors myriad traps, but the door and traps can be bypassed without solving the puzzle).
> 
> The puzzle requires assembling keys from several parts, and while I could put all the parts in my other room (room 8), I'd like to spread the keys around. So I'm looking for volunteers willing to insert these keys into their rooms.




What do these keys look like or how big, small, etc. are they?  I could add a torch sconce to room 7, in the shape of a raft.  If I recall my Egyptian mythology correctly, a raft was the vessel used to transport souls to the underworld.


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## Phineas Crow (May 26, 2004)

Wycen said:
			
		

> What do these keys look like or how big, small, etc. are they?  I could add a torch sconce to room 7, in the shape of a raft.  If I recall my Egyptian mythology correctly, a raft was the vessel used to transport souls to the underworld.




the keys are tiny figurines, see post #98 for an example.


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## tarchon (May 26, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> One thing we should probably decide on...
> 
> Was the transformation of Toth Nekamek into a demon *planned*, or did something go wrong? Ferret's "Chronicles of Toth Nekamek" imply that it was planned ("these rituals have infernal connections and may involve reincarnated dead as demons"). I was working under the assumption that Toth didn't plan to rise as a demon, and I was planning on having a LN guardian (to fit with the Anubis theme).
> 
> So which is it? Which would we prefer to have? What alignment is the Jackal god anyway?



My vague notion was that Toth presumed himself to be a decent LN guy in life and had come to believe that through sheer greatness and favor of the gods he would be resurrected someday, possibly because of some oracle to that effect.
However, after death, he was found not be quite as lawful and neutral as he believed himself to be (_mene mene tekel upharsin_) and was cast into the abyss by the judge of the dead (quasi-Anubis), where he spent centuries as a lowly larva (or manes - I forget which was which in the MM), and eventually squirmed his way up to babau status.  Why the babau is here, for sentimental reasons or perhaps to try to enact some ritual to regain his humanity, I hadn't bothered to work out, since I figured the developing story line was bound to wander substantially as different people filled it in. 
The basic effects of this would be that the original tomb would have a typical human-social LN bent but would be corrupted by firstly babau-Toth's CE influence and secondly the (I think?) CE alignment of the gnolls in the outer part, with their own CE demon worship


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## Phineas Crow (May 26, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Phineas, if you have another key to get rid of (preferably a jackal related one), I have just the place to put it.
> 
> 
> PS: how long do you think it will take the party to get through the door, deal with the demon, and get back out? I think I'll have #20 start filling up with sand once they slay Yinepu.





no jackals, there is a crocodile, cat, and asp keys left.


I'm not sure how long the battle will take, but I don't think its going to start as soon as the PCs enter, I'm going to let them explore the seemly empty tomb for a bit before launching the attack


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## Phineas Crow (May 26, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> [snip] ...Why the babau is here, for sentimental reasons or perhaps to try to enact some ritual to regain his humanity, I hadn't bothered to work out... [snip] [snip]




I like the idea of Toth the babau trying to raise Toth the mummified corpse. It could lead to an ending out of a bad horror flick, when the PCs finally kill the babau and think they are done and begin looting the tomb the mummified corpse in the sarcophagus sits up... Toth Reanimated.


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## Conaill (May 26, 2004)

I'll have the croc key in that case.

Where's the babau demon in #21 anyway? Is it still in the sarcophagus? Would make sense if the Babau stage is only a phase in the development towards an even greater demon. I have this image of a babau demon in mummy wrappings as being like a chrysalis in its cocoon. Heck, even the red slimy covering when you peel away the mummy wrappings would fit in with that.


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

Room 19 is now available.

Jester47, I apologise for knocking it out from you. If it's still available when you see this, you can re-reserve it again.


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## Wycen (May 26, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I like the idea of Toth the babau trying to raise Toth the mummified corpse. It could lead to an ending out of a bad horror flick, when the PCs finally kill the babau and think they are done and begin looting the tomb the mummified corpse in the sarcophagus sits up... Toth Reanimated.




I like that idea too, though I would worry it may over power the party.


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## Phineas Crow (May 26, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> I'll have the croc key in that case.
> 
> Where's the babau demon in #21 anyway? Is it still in the sarcophagus? Would make sense if the Babau stage is only a phase in the development towards an even greater demon. I have this image of a babau demon in mummy wrappings as being like a chrysalis in its cocoon. Heck, even the red slimy covering when you peel away the mummy wrappings would fit in with that.





Key 5 of 7: Conaill’s Key
Bone Crocodile figurine: A tiny crocodile sculpted from bone with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Afa” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.


As for the babau, I plan on having him skulking in the shadows, using his high hide and move silently skills to ambush the party. As for the demon development, remember that the demon is made from the soul stuff of Toth, Toth's mummified body is still in the tomb.


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## Conaill (May 26, 2004)

Hey Trainz,

Could you add links to the rooms in your first post, to make it easier to find them? Let's see, I think I got all the ones that have already been posted:

1. Outside the tomb (René Mongrain "Trainz")
2. Entry Hall of the Jackal (Shannon Troester "Thullgrim")
3. Shrine to Hrauk (Shannon Troester "Thullgrim")
4. The Gnoll Barracks (Brian Thompson "Elephant")
5. The small bedroom (Tim Challener "Slife")
6. Elite Gnoll Barracks (Brian Thompson "Elephant")
7. Funerary Preparations Room (Chad Barr “Wycen”)
8. Crypt of the Exalted Ones (H. R. McGlone “Phineas Crow”)
9. Hall of Final Justice (Connor Sites-Bowen)
10. Storage Room (Kris Hulsen "The Forsaken One")
11. Reserved (Alexander P. Y. Fitzhugh "fnork de sporg" - May 25)
12. Reserved (ikazuchi - May 25)
13. Chronicles of Toth Nekamek (Craig Stone "Ferret")
14. The gnoll tunnel disaster (Lance Hewett "Tallfellow")
15. Atrium of the Royal Steed (Ben Buckner "tarchon")
16. The Crypt of Aris (Ben Tiefenback "John Q. Mayhem")
17. Reserved (The Forsaken One - May 23/ext on request)
18. Warped Burial Chamber (Chris Cumming "Erekose13")
19. Reserved (Jester47 - May 23)
20. Reserved (Conaill - May 24)
21. Burial Chamber of Toth Nekamek (H. R. McGlone “Phineas Crow")


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

Conaill, how do I do it to make the link go to the right post in the middle of the page ?


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## Adrienne (May 26, 2004)

I have an idea for room 19.  I'll start writing it up, and post it if Jester47 doesn't come back, I guess?


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

Adrienne said:
			
		

> I have an idea for room 19. I'll start writing it up, and post it if Jester47 doesn't come back, I guess?



It's yours.


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## tarchon (May 26, 2004)

Wycen said:
			
		

> I like that idea too, though I would worry it may over power the party.




If the reanimation goes wrong and he comes back as a normal human (perhaps 1000 year old human), or a zombie, or a jackal, or some such, maybe not.

"Hah - fools!  Now, by being slain in my burial chamber I have regained my human body at last - the world is mine!  And now you will pay for your insolence!"
[raises hand as if to shoot a bolt of eldritch energy, but there is only a faint spark and a fizzling sound]
"No it can't be!  Where are my powers?  I am Toth the Mighty!  Noooo!!!  And where are my servants and my armies... my kingdom!?" [looks around with sudden realization of his powerlessness]

(Thoth the god, BTW, was a god of craft and sorcery.)


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## The Forsaken One (May 26, 2004)

Phineas Crow, the creature I have in room 17 once tried to destroy Toth's body ages ago as revenge for the death of her beloved. I'd like to assume that when she got to room 20 (where she was subsequently killed) she had already found a few keys. So if you have like 2 more keys you need to place somewhere. Assign them to me and I'll have Nyovne carry 3 keys and if they don't kill her some information about how the final trapped door works. (Btw I think you can make the traps on the final door a tad more lethal.)

Room 17 below still needs alot of tweaking, it needs the full encounter entry which I got in my mind just haven't typed out yet (its 4 AM here), and some sorting on the alphabetical stuff in Nyovne's statblock.


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## The Forsaken One (May 26, 2004)

*Room 17 – A sinner’s tomb* (Kris Hulsen "The Forsaken One")

*Door:* A heavy stone slab is set in front of an entrance blocking the way into the room beyond. It requires a DC 24 Strength check to move and is locked. (Strength DC 28 to break; Hardness 8; hp 60; Unlock DC 30) 



> As you continue down the hallway the floor is filled with a thick brown gas that flows over the stones beneath your feet. A few meters ahead a huge stone slab seems to block the way into a room to your left. As you approach the thick and foul smelling brown gas trickles from under the stone slab into the hallway.






> With a loud grinding sound the stone slab is pushed aside and from behind it a wave of brown gas flows over you. The room beyond is conceiled in a brown mist.




*Features:* Conceiled in the mist the northern, southern and eastern wall are lined with elaborately decorated colums. The coloms depict all kinds of laughing people pointing at the western wall. A sarcophagus occupies a central location against the western wall, lid thrown off, flanked on each side by a statue depicting a laughing jackal-creature.

*Encounter (EL 4):* Now imprisoned and bearing the curse of undeath, Nyovne is a former rogue, and a charming one at that. So charming that even though she was a female human she still was one of the suitors of Toth's wife... She was heartbroken when Toth took her beloved and she set out to break into his tomb and destroy his body and take his gifts ment for the afterlife so he would remain in the afterlife with a mutilated body and no posessions which he treasured in life as revenge.

But before she reached the final chamber she was lured into a devious trap by Yinepu, the Awakened Jackal Cleric. The battle was fierce but when Yinepu stepped back Nyovne fell into the soul trap Yinepu had prepared and was stuck down by the Curse of the Pharao. Nyovne found her soul stuck in her now decaying body, feeling her strengh drain away, mind go numb and her beauty peel away as her skin fell off. The last thing she saw with her almost powerless body was Yinepu sealing her into a tomb with a great stone slab and the last thing she heard was that her beloved wasn't dead. But that her soul was locked just a few yards away from Nyove. Both doomed to rot and scream forever in this forsaken crypt, bound to be lost and forgotten forever... Two lovers, cursed, doomed and withering undead souls forever kept just a few feet from each other. Never to be found..


*Tactics:* Trapped here ages ago as a last twist of fate by Toth Nekamek, Nyovne isn’t really in the condition for a heavy fight nor is she feeling like it. This and the fact that her cursed robe has dulled her mind causes her initial attitude to be indifferent to any who enter her tomb. Waiting in the mist she will hold her attack and wait for the intruders to come into view. If they aren’t immediately hostile or Nyovne draws initiative she will attempt to parley with them. She will try to convince them of her plight and that she wants to exact some kind of revenge on the one entombed here and rescue the remains of her beloved to properly bury them so her soul may finally find rest in the afterlife. If the adventurers agree to accept her aid and help her out she will share some details about traps in the dungeon and reveal some information about the puzzle trap that guards the final door that grants entrance to Toth Nekamek’s tomb.

Because the curse on her robe dulls her mind, Nyovne won’t use the mist to her maximum advantage. Robbed of all her strength and wits she hides in the mist untill someone comes into her sight. If the intruder bares any marks of Toth Nekamek or his evil jackal god she will attack immediately hitting them once and then retreating into the mist. There she will try to move around the room towards the exit in an attempt to escape. If the exit is blocked she will focus all her attacks on the one blocking the exit in an attempt to get out. If she gets out of her tomb she will flee the crypt as fast as she can.

If her attackers are otherwise immediatly hostile she will defend herself for three rounds while trying to parley with them. This in an attempt to convince them that she can help them gain acces to the final chamber containing the tomb of Toth Nekamek and that this cannot be done without her knowledge. If her attackers agree to give her a chance and have Nyovne accompagny them to Toth Nekamek’s tomb she won’t share any details with them. If her “rescuers” turn hostile again she will attempt to escape the tomb.

*Nyovne Sindweller*, advanced intelligent black skelleton (former human female) Rog 5: CR 4; medium undead; HD 5d12 plus 5d6; hp 51; Init +4; Spd 15 ft.; AC 14 (+5 natural, +4 chain shirt, -5 bracers of defenselessness), touch 5, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +5; Grp +2; Atk Masterwork Cold Iron Spiked Chain +7 melee (2d4 -3 plus aging, 20/x2) or claw +5 melee (1d4-3 plus aging); Full Atk Masterwork Cold Iron Spiked Chain +7 (2d4 -3 plus aging, 20/x2) or 2 claws +5 melee (1d4-3 plus aging); Space/Reach 5 ft./10 ft.; SA Aging, Sneak attack +3d6; SQ half damage from slashing or piercing, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to cold and electricity, undead traits, uncanny dodge, trapsense +1, evasion, trapfinding; AL CG; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5; Str 4, Dex 11, Con --, Int 5, Wis 10, Cha 16.
Languages: Common, Celestial, Abyssal
Skills: Bluff +17, Listen +8, Spot +8, Search +5, Disable Device +5, Open Lock +8, Sense Motive +13, Sleight of hand +8, Gather Information +11, Disguise +15, Intimidate +11
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Exotic weapon proficiency (Spiked Chain), Weapon Focus (Spiked Chain), Negotiator

Possessions: Chain Shirt, Masterwork Cold Iron Spiked Chain, _Golden Ring of clumsiness, Gold Nugget of weight, Golden Bracers of defenselessness, Leather Gloves of fumbling, Exquisite Robe of powerlessness, Golden Amulet of inescapable location_, Ceramic Ram figurine, Alabaster Cat figurine, Sandstone Hippo figurine.

Aging (Su): Nyovne's touch disrupts most living tissue. Whenever she successfully strikes an aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, outsider, plant, or vermin with a claw or melee weapon attack, the creature struck must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or immediately age 1d10 years. The save DC is Charisma based.

Undead Traits: Nyovne is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. She is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to her physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage. She cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if she is willing.



> Ceramic Ram figurine: A tiny ram formed from ceramic with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Sera” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.
> 
> Alabaster Cat figurine: A tiny cat chiseled from alabaster with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Ama” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.
> 
> Sandstone Hippo figurine: A tiny hippo carved from sandstone with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Nehes” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.






> Golden Amulet of Inescapable Location: This device is typically worn on a chain or as a brooch. It appears, to magical analysis, to prevent location, scrying or detection or influence by detect thoughts or telepathy. It seems to be an amulet of proof against detection and location. Actually, the amulet gives the wearer a –10 penalty on all saves against divination spells.
> Moderate abjuration; CL 10th; Create Wondrous Item, bestow curse; Price 1,000 gp.
> 
> Golden Bracers of Defenselessness: These appear to be bracers of armor +5 and actually serve as such until the wearer is attacked in anger by an enemy with a Challenge Rating equal to or greater than her level. At that moment and thereafter, the bracers cause a –5 penalty to AC. Once their curse is activated, bracers of defenselessness can be removed only by means of a remove curse spell.
> ...




*Note* Nyovne could function as a narrator for the tomb's history. Might be interesting and add flavor to the dungeon.


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## Phineas Crow (May 26, 2004)

The Forsaken One said:
			
		

> Phineas Crow, the creature I have in room 17 once tried to destroy Toth's body ages ago as revenge for the death of her beloved. I'd like to assume that when she got to room 20 (where she was subsequently killed) she had already found a few keys. So if you have like 2 more keys you need to place somewhere. Assign them to me and I'll have Nyovne carry 3 keys and if they don't kill her some information about how the final trapped door works. (Btw I think you can make the traps on the final door a tad more lethal.)





Key 6 of 7: The Forsaken One’s Key
Alabaster Cat figurine: A tiny cat chiseled from alabaster with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Ama” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.

Key 7 of 7: The Forsaken One’s Key
Ceramic Ram figurine: A tiny ram formed from ceramic with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Sera” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.


I do have plans on increasing the trap strength.


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## The Forsaken One (May 26, 2004)

Ok nice 

btw I created this once as a Demon ment for use in the Midnight Campaign that I'm running. Maybe you can do something with it or it might inspire you as what to do with the final encounter.

I present to you, Rashnak the Ravager.

----------------



Rashnak the Ravager [3.5] 
Medium Outsider [Demon] (Chaotic, Extraplanar, Evil) 
Hit Dice: 5d8 + 22 (43hp) 
Initiative: +10 (+4 Improved Initiative, +6 dex) 
Speed: 50’ (10 squares) 
Armor Class: 21 (+5 natural, +6 dex), touch 16, flat-footed 15 
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+6 
Attack: Claw +12 melee (1d6+5) 
Full Attack: 2 claws +11 melee (1d6+1) and bite +6 (1d4) 
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. 
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, Feeding Frenzy.
Special Qualities: Hunger, Stalker, Damage reduction 10/magic, immunity to acid and poison, resistance to fire 5, spell resistance 14, Scent.
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +7 
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 23, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 14 
Skills: Climb +15, Concentration +15, Hide +6, Listen +15, Spot +15, Move Silently +2, Search +3 
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Track (B)
Challenge Rating: 5 

Rashnak speaks Abyssal. 

Rashnak is approximately 5' in height and weighs 80 lbs. 

Cursed with an undying hunger Rashnak appears as an Elf of exceptionally small stature and it is this appearance that has led many a Dansil or Elfling to its demize. His hair short and black, his skin smooth and a deep crimson, he stalks the southern jungles of the Erethor. His face eternally contorted in a painfull grimace as his undying hunger drives him ever on into the thicket of the Southern Jungles. He prefers to wear no clothes of any sort but occasionally dresses himself in the clothes of a recent victim to lure even more Elves to a gruesome end. Finally, his teeth are a perfect set of oversized white fangs protruding from both jaws. His teeth just to long to fit well in his mouth cause as constant trickle of blood to seep from his mouth as he bites his oversized teeth into the flesh of his own mouth as he bites down in the eternal anguish of hunger.

Spell-like abilities: At will - Ghoul Touch, Invisibility. Caster level 7th. 

Hunger: If a Rashnak doesn’t at least consume the corpse of one medium size creature once per day, he suffers a cumulative -1 penalty to attack, damage and saves per day he hasn’t fed. If Rashnak hasn’t fed for at least 10 days it gains a negative level for every day not fed. When the number of negative levels equals Rashnak's total number of hitdice Rashnak the Ravager is permanently destroyed.

Stalker: Once Rashnak has caught the scent of a target and he has been tracking his target for over an hour he gains the following benefits:
Rashnak can track a target at any speed without suffering any penalties to his survival checks. He also can run for up to a hour per point of constitution before having to make a constitution check or become fatigued while tracking a target.

Feeding frenzy: Rashnak can consume a medium size dead or helpless target in 1 round, large in 2 rounds, huge in 4, gargantuan in 8, colossal in 16 rounds, and small corpses in a standard action, smaller targets then Small size always takes at least a standard action. Rashak regains lost hitpoints at a rate of 6 hitpoints per consumed HD and after consuming a corpse of at least medium size Rashnak gains 1 extra standard action a round for the duration of 1 round/HD consumed from one creature. (Multiple consumations overlap and do not stack).
Hitpoints gained by use of this ability in excess of his maximum amount of hitpoints are treated as temporary hitpoints which fade away after 1 hour per HD of the target consumed. (Multiple consumations overlap and do not stack).
A creature whos corpse has been consumed in Rashnak's feeding frenzy can’t be raised of ressurrected. Only a wish or miracle can bring a person consumed this way back to life but even this kind of powerfull magic has a 50% chance of failure.

Tactics: Rashnak despizes combat. He prefers to feed on the remants of the fallen left behind by others to avoid any risks to himself. If unable to find any fresh meat he preferably turns himself invisible and uses his Ghoul Touch ability on the weakest looking available target. After succesfully paralysing his victim his consumes it with its Feeding Frenzy ability and flees as quickly as he can.

If he doesn't feel severely threatened or sees other targets erupt into panic he revels in the horror and comes tearing with its claws after the rest screaming an unearthly high pitched scream.

Death of Rashnak: If Rashnak is slain on the Prime Material plane, his remains will continue to lose an unnatural ammount of blood. If the body is not utterly destroyed by any means the blood will continue to seep into the surroundings for two whole weeks. 

After these two weeks, nature itself is violated as the unholy blood seeps into the ground and turns it into a faint crimson and a 240ft radius around his corpse is utterly defiled. Trees twist into unnatural and depraved forms of their original selves and every form of life is mutated by the vile blood that now runs through the land. Every living creature entering this area must succeed at a Will save DC 12 or feel a sudden craving for living flesh and will succumb to this craving in 1d4 rounds and attack the nearest living creature or go in search of one. This effect last for 1 hour.

Every drop of blood spilled onto the defiled ground empowers the return of the Ravager. After 666 points of damage has been dealt in the 240ft radius area, Rashnak the Ravager will rise again from the bloodstained ground to continue his bloody feast.


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## Conaill (May 26, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> Conaill, how do I do it to make the link go to the right post in the middle of the page ?



A link to a thread you've just created will end in something like "showthread.php?p=1561997#post1561997". By itself, "showthread.php?p=1561997" will just give you the page of the thread where post # 1561997 is located. the "#post1561997" at the end makes it jump straight to the post itself.

I don't know a quick shortcut to get this url for threads that others have created, but you can see the post number for example by looking at the url of the Reply button for a post. I just did a little copy-and-paste


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## Wycen (May 26, 2004)

The Forsaken One said:
			
		

> *Room 17 – A sinner’s tomb* (Kris Hulsen "The Forsaken One")
> 
> *Note:* The Elhoriad creature is from the _Random Encounters - The Cult of Tharizdun - Part 3_ Article from the WotC website.




Unfortunately, you should change the name and stats/power/abilities because that is not open game content.  If you just used the Wotc article as inspiration, cool, but cutting and pasting that wont work.


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## Adrienne (May 26, 2004)

*Room 19 - The Hall of Celebrants* (Adrienne Traxler "Adrienne")

*Door:*  Echoing the style of the smaller portal across the hall, these double doors are made of copper and covered with ancient bas reliefs.  The decorations show women and children strewing flowers over a path that leads to an empty throne.  By the throne crouch men holding up pitchers of wine and baskets of bread and fruit.  The unlocked doors (break DC 25, hardness 8, HP 50) are bowed outward slightly towards the bottom, and faint but detectable noise issues from them (see Features, below).



> This long, broad room is lined with statues made of reddish granite.  The two flanking the door are musicians with curved trumpets held high.  Along the sides of the room are men with cattle and women with baskets of fruit.  Other men and women bear graceful jars and armloads of grain.  Children with garlands of flowers are interspersed in a stylized frozen dance.  The four statues at the end of the hall represent kneeling men with bowed heads.  Their uplifted arms hold empty stone bowls.  All of the statues face the center of the room--but among the figures, several are knocked askew or broken into pieces.  A slight odor of spices pervades the air, and dust thickly coats the floor.





*Features:*  Before the group opens the doors, they may hear the occupant of the hall muttering to itself.  The Listen DC is 25 (base 15, +5 for the door and +5 for distance).  A successful listener hears a confused mass of whispering voices, some urgent and some soothing.  If the result is sufficiently high to make out the words of whispered conversation, the listener hears only snatches, for example:  "When is he coming?"  "Soon."  "Hail Toth Nekamek!"  "Murderer."  "Ssshh."  The sounds cease when the door is opened.

A DC 15 Spot check reveals that the disturbed statues stand over cavities roughly three feet by four feet in size, with a depth of about three feet.  With a Spot result of 22 or better (DC 18, -4 to check because of distance), the spotter notices that several overturned statues at the far end of the room have some sort of oily sheen at their bases.


*Encounter:*  The shine around the statues at the end of the room is actually a gibbering mouther, currently lying in the shadows of those tumbled stone figures.  It will make no move or sound until it sees someone pass more than half of the length of the room towards it, at which point it will commence gibbering and surge forward to feed.  Regardless of what happens, the mouther will not voluntarily leave the room.  It formed from the influence of Chaos on the bodies buried in this chamber, and some dim recollection of its once-human parts keeps it anchored here.  Once it is stirred, it will attack intruders until they leave the hall or it is killed--being tied here, it has no avenue of retreat.

Gibbering Mouther:  CR 5; Medium aberration; HD 4d8+24; hp 42; Init +1; Spd 10 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +3; Grp +3; Atk +4 melee (1, bite) or +4 ranged touch (1d4 acid plus blindness, spittle); Full Atk +4/+4/+4/+4/+4/+4 melee (1, bite) and +4 ranged touch (1d4 acid plus blindness, spittle); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA gibbering, spittle, improved grab, blood drain, engulf, ground manipulation; SQ amorphous, damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft.; AL CE; SV Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +5; Str 10, Dex 13, Con 22, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 13.
Skills and Feats:  Listen +4, Spot +9 Swim +8; Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse.

*Gibbering (Su):* As soon as the mouther spots anyone who has more than halfway down the length of the room, it begins a constant gibbering as a free action. All creatures (other than mouthers) within a 60-foot spread must succeed on a DC 13 Will save or be affected as though by a _confusion_ spell for 1d2 rounds. This is a sonic mind-affecting compulsion effect. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected by the same gibbering mouther's gibbering for 24 hours. 

*Spittle (Ex):*  As a free action every round, a gibbering mouther fires a stream of spittle at one opponent within 30 feet. The mouther makes a ranged touch attack; if it hits, it deals 1d4 points of acid damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. Eyeless creatures are immune to the blinding effect, but are still subject to the acid damage. 

*Improved Grab (Ex):*To use this ability, a gibbering mouther must hit with a bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. 

*Blood Drain (Ex):* On a successful grapple check after grabbing, that mouth attaches to the opponent. It automatically deals bite damage and drains blood, dealing 1 point of Constitution damage each round. A mouth can be ripped off (dealing 1 point of damage) with a DC 12 Strength check or severed by a successful sunder attempt (the mouth has 2 hit points). 
A severed mouth continues to bite and drain blood for 1d4 rounds after such an attack. A creature whose Constitution is reduced to 0 is killed. 

*Engulf (Ex):* A gibbering mouther can try to engulf a Medium or smaller opponent grabbed by three or more mouths. The opponent must succeed on a DC 14 Reflex save or fall and be engulfed. In the next round, the mouther makes twelve bite attacks instead of six (each with a +4 attack bonus). An engulfed creature cannot attack the mouther from within. The previously attached mouths are now free to attack others. 

*Ground Manipulation (Su):* At will, as a standard action, a gibbering mouther can cause stone and earth in all adjacent squares to become a morass akin to quicksand. Softening earth, sand, or the like takes 1 round, while stone takes 2 rounds. Anyone other than the mouther in that area must take a move-equivalent action to avoid becoming mired (treat as being pinned).

*Amorphous (Ex):* A gibbering mouther is not subject to critical hits. It cannot be flanked.


*Other Features:*  The cavities below the disturbed statues are not merely empty, but scoured clean by some rough abrasion that resembles tooth marks.  Moving any other statues requires a DC 20 Strength check for each.  All of the statues stand over identical holes, and release a dusty scent of decay if disturbed by the party.  Inside the freshly-uncovered holes are mummified bodies, each corresponding in size to the statue that stood above.  Behind the row of statues, murals once decorated the walls, but now only occasional smudges remain.


*Notes:*  The people buried in this room were meant to welcome the king to the afterlife with gifts and praise.  Many of them did not die willingly, and the unholy energies that gathered around Toth Nekamek have fused several of the corpses into a hungry new life.  The stone bowls held by the kneeling statues at the far end of the room once held gems and adornments for the risen king, but those have long since been stolen.


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## Elephant (May 26, 2004)

Based on the rooms detailed so far, I'm assuming that we need a total of 24 Gnoll redshirts in the complex, in addition to the named Gnolls statted in various rooms.  What follows is an attempt at describing the organization and lifestyle of this Gnoll band.

Some of the rooms feature dead Gnolls.  I'll assume that these are all recent enough casualties that they have not been replaced.

In Room 4, 12 Gnolls sleep during the day, double-bunking in four of the beds (it used to be 16 before the losses mentioned in the room descriptions).  8 more sleep during the evening (they pull guard and patrol duty during the day).  At night, 4 of the Gnolls will be drinking and dicing.

In Room 5, the dead Shaman from Room 14 used to share the bed with Nazgra from Room 7.  He was the extra-jealous type and didn't want anyone scoring some of his booty, so he maintained the trap to punish any Gnoll foolish enough to trespass.

In Room 6, the named Gnolls have beds to themselves(this includes some of the dead Gnolls), where they sleep during the day.  During the evening, when Room 4 is occupied by sleepers, 4 Gnolls will be drinking and dicing there.  At night, a single named Gnoll (TBA) will occupy this room, plotting ways to gain the attentions of Nazgra and the demise of his chief rivals.

At all times, four Gnolls are on guard duty (Rooms 1 and 2), and four more are on patrol duty.  The patrols (2 Gnolls each) will encounter the party as they pass through Rooms 1 and 2 for the _second_ time.

During the night, two hunting bands of four Gnolls each roam the lands around the tomb.  Each band has a 50% chance of encountering the party if they are within 5 miles of the tomb.

The following table accounts for all the remaining Gnoll redshirts.  Gnolls 1-4 are the dead ones, and the named ones have important places to be 


```
Bunk	Gnoll	8-4p		4-12a		12-8a
A	5	sleep		Guard 1		Patrol 1
B	6	sleep		Guard 1		Patrol 1
B	7	sleep		Guard 2		Patrol 2
C	8	sleep		Guard 2		Patrol 2
C	9	sleep		Dicing 6	Guard 1
D	10	sleep		Dicing 6	Guard 1
E	11	sleep		Dicing 6	Guard 2
F	12	sleep		Dicing 6	Guard 2
F	13	sleep		Patrol 1	Dicing 4
G	14	sleep		Patrol 1	Dicing 4
H	15	sleep		Patrol 2	Dicing 4
H	16	sleep		Patrol 2	Dicing 4
A	17	Guard 1		sleep		Hunting
B	18	Guard 1		sleep		Hunting
C	19	Guard 2		sleep		Hunting
D	20	Guard 2		sleep		Hunting
E	21	Patrol 1	sleep		Hunting
F	22	Patrol 1	sleep		Hunting
G	23	Patrol 2	sleep		Hunting
H	24	Patrol 2	sleep		Hunting
```

What does everyone think of this?  I tried to set up a reasonable, functioning Gnoll band without completely overpowering the party or having Gnolls just disappear for large sections of the day.


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## Mark (May 26, 2004)

What an F-ing TEAM!  You folks are rockin' major!

Can I just interject (although I usually stand aside and leave other then legal issues to Trainz) that I have been continually impressed by the team spirit and cooperative nature of the CD-xx threads?

I'm loving the way that those with a bit more time this time, and those with a bit more time previous times, all step up and take on a more supervisory role as the need arises and as particular ideas strike them.  Nothing can make these CD-xx projects better than a willingness to look at what the full project has to offer, thinking about how the whole can benefit from a well placed bit of advice, and speaking up when it strikes you.

Keep kicking butt, everyone, and I'll just keep being proud to be the one who gets to publish them as you folks wrangle them into form!

THANKS!


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## Creamsteak (May 26, 2004)

When Trainz or whoever does it finalizes the thread and puts everything into word, can someone send me the RAW material? I'd like to get to work on stat-blocks as early as possible so that I can be thorough.


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## Conaill (May 26, 2004)

*Room 20 - Yinepu's Vigil* (Patrik "Conaill" D'haeseleer)

*Door*: A double bronze door, inlaid with gold, blackened silver and lapis lazuli depicting scenes from the Book of the Dead (which can be found among the Chronicles of Toth Nekamek in room #13). The bronze door (hardness 8, hp 40) is barred _from the inside_ with an ancient wooden beam (break DC 22). Anyone who has examined the Book of the Dead for more than three rounds may recognize the scenes on an Int check DC 12. The corresponding passage in the book contains a passphrase (Decipher Script DC 20) which will disintegrate the beam. The center of the door is covered with a clay seal, with the following warning in both hieratic script and hieroglyphics (Decipher Script DC 18, because both versions are present): "They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be visited by wings of death." Prying the gold, silver and lapis lazuli out of the door nets a total of 20 gp, but as a piece of art, the doors would be worth much more as a whole.


> As you open the door, you see the glint of gold in the dark antechamber in front of you. The layer of dust covering everything indicates nobody has entered here for a long, long time. The center of the room is dominated by what seems to be a life-sized statue of a black jackal, sitting on top of a 2ft. high golden shrine with long carrying poles attached to it. Its eyes and ears are outlined in gold, and it seems to be wearing a golden sash around its neck. The walls of this antechamber are filled with hieroglyphics and more scenes from the Book of the Dead. All along the walls, richly decorated furniture and artworks are stacked up, along with numerous small painted funeral figurines. On the wall directly opposite is another, very elaborate double door, flanked by two more standing half-jackal statues.








The jackal on top of the shrine is not a statue, but the Awakened jackal cleric Yinepu in his Eternal Vigil (see below, Spot DC 25 to notice the statue looks a little too real). The funeral figurines are animated objects, but will not move unless ordered so by Yinepu (or until Yinepu's death).

The furniture and art objects around the room are worth a pretty penny (say, 5000 gp intact), but mostly made of gilded, ancient, and dried out wood. None of the furniture will bear more than 40 lb of weight, and would need to be carried out very carefully. 
Alternatively, the PCs could spend 20 minutes (20 rounds per square along the walls) to smash and pry out 200 gp in lapis lazuli and other semi-precious stones. In addition, there are several finely wrought alabaster plaques (100 gp and 100 lb total). The shrine in the middle is likewise made of gilded wood and covered in hieroglyphics (worth 1000 gp intact). The carrying poles are too fragile to lift the shrine. 

The top plank of the shrine slides off, revealing a number of compartments, containing two fine alabaster cups (10 gp each), a MW but heavily corroded (-1) cold iron ceremonial dagger, a bone crocodile figurine (A tiny crocodile sculpted from bone with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Afa” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something). [ _can use some more creative loot here_ ]

Some of the murals and hieroglyphics function as scrolls, which can be activated when standing directly in front of them:
- Both doors contain an inscription for Hold Portal (Sor/Wiz1)
- The northern wall (directly above the number 20 on the map) contains a mural of archers. Upon reading the inscription, one archer will fire a Magic Missile (Sor/Wiz1) at any desired target.
- The southern wall (directly below the number 20 on the map) contains a mural of servants removing a suit of armor from Toth Nekamek's body before mummification. Upon reading the inscription, the servants will reach out and put a ghostly Mage Armor on the caster.
- The top of the shrine, directly in front of the jackal, contains an inscription for Bestow Curse (Clr3). If anyone but Yinepu activates this inscription, the curse is cast on the reader instead.

*Encounter: (EL 5)* Five foot into the room, there is a low step down. As soon as anyone crosses this line, Yinepu's Vigil is broken and he speaks: "It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chambers. I am for the protection of the deceased, and I will kill all those who cross this threshold into the sacred precincts of the Royal King who lives forever."




Yinepu, Awakened Jackal Clr3: CR 4; Small Magical Beast (Augmented Animal); HD 6d8+6; hp 33; Init +3; Spd 40 ft; AC 15 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12; Base Atk +4; Grp +1; Atk Bite +7 melee (1d4+2); Full Atk Bite +7 melee (1d4+2); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA -; SQ Darkvision 60ft., Low-light vision, Scent, Ageless Vigil; AL LN; SV  Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +8; Str 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 18, Cha 12.
Languages: Ancient Common, Abyssal?
Skills and Feats:  Concentration +8, Jump +6, Knowledge (Religion) +4, Listen +4, Move Silently +7, Spot +4, Survival +4; Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Track
Domains: Death, Magic
lvl 0: Guidance, Mending, Resistance (x2)
lvl 1: Bane, Sanctuary, Summon Monster I, Cause Fear (Death)
lvl 2: Darkness, Summon Monster II, Death Knell (Death)
*Ageless Vigil (Su)*: An elaborate magical ritual has enabled Yinepu to assume a trance-like state as long as he stands vigil guarding his master's tomb. In this state, Yinepu does not move, breathe, eat, sleep or age.
Combat: Yinepu will typically try to cast Sanctuary first, then call upon the funeral figurines (free action, "Shawabti, defend your Lord in this life as in the afterlife!"), and cast Darkness. Next he will likely read the Bestow Curse inscription, cast Summon Monster II, or read the Mage Armor inscription (make this a higher priority if Darkness has been negated, because of the cool visuals).

*SHAWABTI SWARM
Tiny Construct (Swarm)
Hit Dice*: 3d10 (16 hp)
*Initiative*: +2
*Speed*: 40 ft. (8 squares)
*Armor Class*: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
*Base Attack/Grapple*: +2/--
*Attack*: Swarm (1d6 plus disease)
*Full Attack*: Swarm (1d6 plus disease)
*Space/Reach*: 10 ft./0 ft.
*Special Attacks*: Disease, distraction
*Special Qualities*: Half damage from slashing and piercing, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, swarm traits, construct traits
*Saves*: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will -4
*Abilities*: Str 8, Dex 14, Con --, Int --, Wis 1, Cha 1
*Skills*: --
*Feats*: --
*Challenge Rating*: 2
*Treasure*: None
*Alignment*: Always neutral
*Advancement*: None
*Level Adjustment*: --

Shawabti (or Ushabti) are small funeral figurines, typically made from ceramic or wood. They respresent servants that will tend to the deceased's needs and fields in the afterlife.

*Combat*
A Shawabti swarm seeks to surround and attack any intruders it encounters. A swarm deals 1d6 points of damage to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.

Disease (Ex): Filth fever—swarm attack, Fortitude DC 11, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con.

Distraction (Ex): Any intruder that begins its turn with a swarm in its square must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round.


*Optional Elements*: After defeating Yinepu, the DM may decide to let very fine sand start seeping into all the hidden chambers (#15-20 or 21) from cracks in the ceiling ("It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chambers."), reducing movement by half after 10 minutes, and filling up the rooms completely after 1/2 an hour. This may raise the Encounter Level of #21 by 1 because of the time pressure.

Alternatively, after defeating the demon in #21, the party may encounter Yinepu's ghost (EL 6) when they come back through #20. Yinepu's ghost can only be fully dismissed if the party manages to persuade him that Toth Nekamek turned into a demon.


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> A link to a thread you've just created will end in something like "showthread.php?p=1561997#post1561997". By itself, "showthread.php?p=1561997" will just give you the page of the thread where post # 1561997 is located. the "#post1561997" at the end makes it jump straight to the post itself.
> 
> I don't know a quick shortcut to get this url for threads that others have created, but you can see the post number for example by looking at the url of the Reply button for a post. I just did a little copy-and-paste



Thanks, it worked. I did it in the first post. I know that Shallown will LOVE these links in the first post, he's the one that compiles the thing from the thread. Should make his life much easier !

And thanks for submitting your room even in scratch form.

And very big thanks to Mark for the awesome support !


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

Creamsteak said:
			
		

> When Trainz or whoever does it finalizes the thread and puts everything into word, can someone send me the RAW material? I'd like to get to work on stat-blocks as early as possible so that I can be thorough.



Well, Shallown is compiling *CD3 *at the moment. As soon as I have it, I will do my thang (which will take a day or two) and then you'll have it.

If you _really _want to start working on the critters of *CD4 *right away, I have posted the links to all the rooms in the first post (thanks Conaill), so it would be easy to get all the critter stat blocks (I can compile just the critters for you if you ask me).

That said, I think we'll wait, because contributors are still tweaking the whole thing, so stat blocks and critters will change.

I'm not sure what you want me to do. Could you enlighten me ?


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## Elephant (May 26, 2004)

Room 6 - Elite Gnoll Barracks (Brian Thompson)

Door:  A Good Wooden Door, Unlocked, opens inward. (Break DC 16, Hardness 5, 15hp)  Use the same random Room State result as Room 4.

Room: Refer to the table below for the appropriate description.
Night:  







> You are standing in the middle of a row of four filthy, unmade beds.  As you look around, you are disgusted by how dingy everything is.  There are three beds against the far wall, along with a dented wooden dresser containing three drawers.  You notice a large, dirty Gnoll sitting on the bed against the wall to your right, muttering to himself.



Day:  







> You are standing in the middle of a row of four filthy, unmade beds.  Peering into the gloom, you can make out three more beds against the far wall, along with a dented wooden dresser containing three drawers.  Slumbering Gnolls fill four of the seven beds.



Evening:  







> You are standing in the middle of a row of four filthy, unmade beds.  As you look around, you are disgusted by how dingy everything is.  There are three beds against the far wall, along with a dented wooden dresser containing three drawers.  Four angry Gnolls look up in from a dice game in shock, hissing viciously.




Traps: The bottom dresser drawer is trapped with an Inflict Light Wounds Trap: CR 2; magic device; touch trigger; automatic reset; spell effect (inflict light wounds, 1st-level cleric, 1d8+1, DC 11 Will save half damage); Search DC 26; Disable Device DC 26. 

Features: Seven wooden beds lie along opposite walls.  The beds have not been made, and they smell like wet dog.  A dented wooden dresser sits in the corner.  Symbols of Hrauk have been painted in blood on the walls.

Encounter:

Room State:
Night(EL 4):  Hintag the Bloodthirsty sits on the bed in the right corner, muttering to himself.  
Day(EL 4):  Hintag the Bloodthirsty is sleeping soundly in the bed to the right of the door.  The three beds against the far wall are filled with Gnolls, but the remaining beds are empty.
Evening(EL 4):  Four Gnolls are drinking heavily between rolls of a dice game.   Their grumbling and arguing can be heard from the hallway with a DC 5 Listen check.

In combat, Hintag will head straight into melee and fight to the death, screaming for reinforcements.  Make a Listen check at DC 5 (no modifiers on the roll).  If successful, have two Gnolls enter combat 1d4+1 rounds later.  This represents a random Gnoll patrol hearing the battle from the hallway past Room 2.

Otherwise, the Gnolls will try to swarm around the party, hoping to bring them down through weight of numbers.

Hintag the Bloodthirsty, Medium Humanoid (Gnoll) Ftr1; CR 2; HD 2d8+2+1d10+2; hp 20; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; AC 15 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +2; Grp +4; Atk Battleaxe +5 melee (1d8+2/x3), or shortbow +3 ranged (1d6/x3); Full Atk (same); SA -; SQ Darkvision 60 ft.; AL neutral evil; SV Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spot +3, Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus (Greataxe)
Possessions: MW battleaxe, Leather Armor, 3gp, 8sp, shortbow, arrows (40).

Gnolls: CR 1; LA +1; Medium humanoid; HD 2d8+2; hp 11; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15 (+1 natural, +2 leather armor, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 10, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +1; Grp +3; Atk Battleaxe +3 melee (1d8+2/x3) or shortbow +1 ranged (1d6/x3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA -; SQ darkvision 60 ft.; AL (Usually) CE; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8.
Languages: Gnoll 
Skills and Feats: Listen +2, Spot +3; Power Attack. 
Possessions: battleaxe, leather armor, heavy steel shield, shortbow, arrows (40). 


Other Features:  In or under each bed, 2d10x10 sp and 1d8 gp can be found.  1d6 Short Swords may be found about the room, as well.  A search of the dresser reveals the following:
Top Drawer:  2d4 gp, hidden underneath various clothes
Middle Drawer:  Nothing but clothes
Bottom Drawer(trapped):  Amulet of Natural Armor +1 and 1d10x100 gp

Notes:  If combat starts in Room 2 or 4, the Gnolls in this room will make Listen checks (DC 0, with the Gnolls taking a –17 penalty on their rolls if sleeping and –12 if gambling for hearing combat in Room 2; -15/-10 for Room 4).  If gambling Gnolls make their Listen check, one of them must also make a DC 15 Wisdom check or ignore the noises outside.  In all cases, the Gnolls will ignore all sound from Room 5; they are used to hearing their shaman (recently dead in Room 14) and Nazgra in there.

Hintag the Bloodthirsty is quite used to hearing brawls in Room 4 because of the dicing.  If he makes his Listen check (-5 at night), he will walk to his door, open it, and yell for the brawlers to settle down.  He will then close the door and return to his corner seat for 1d4+1 rounds.  If the sounds of combat have not disappeared by this time, he will stomp down the hall, yelling about punishments for the dicing miscreants.  Once in Room 4, he will be flat-footed in surprise for one round, then roll initiative as normal.

If he hears combat in Room 2 (-5 Listen modifier at night), he will immediately go to investigate, weapon in hand.

Hintag goes hunting outside the tomb in the evening.


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## Mark (May 26, 2004)

Creamsteak said:
			
		

> When Trainz or whoever does it finalizes the thread and puts everything into word, can someone send me the RAW material? I'd like to get to work on stat-blocks as early as possible so that I can be thorough.




Register on my site.  As part of the team you have a couple of helpful tools coming but it requires your registration first.


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## The Forsaken One (May 26, 2004)

I thought I could use the stuff from the WotC website? Mark posted as such a few pages back. So Wycen why can't I? I thought I could..


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## Wycen (May 26, 2004)

The stuff on the website is for people to use in personal terms, like being able to photocopy character sheets for personal use, but not in such a publication as this.  If it is not in the SRD, System Reference Document, then by the bounds of this collaboration and SRD license, we can't use it.  The SRD can be found here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35

Sorry, it isn't my intent to squash anyone's creativity.  If you are still curious of the specifics several people in this thread can provide more answers.

Edit: Of course the link I provided goes to the Wizards website, so I thought it would be useful to point out that the SRD link is a very specific part of the Wizards website. All the spells, monsters, locales, and web enhancements you find are part of WoTC's Intellectual Property and thus different rules apply versus the information contained in the SRD documents.  I hope that clears it up.


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## ikazuchi (May 26, 2004)

*Room 12 – Toth Nekamek’s Library (by Daryl Gubler – Ikazuchi)*

*Room 12 – Toth Nekamek’s Library* (by Daryl Gubler – Ikazuchi)
*Door:*
The ironbound wooden door has hieroglyphs carved all over its surface. A crude, gnollish mark of warning is hacked into the wood. The lock has been bashed into a bare semblance of it original form. Otherwise, the door is unlocked, and opens smoothly with barely a squeak. A Hieratic inscription, barely understandable beneath the gnollish mark, requires a decipher script check of 20 to translate, and states “The Light of Knowledge. The Light of Toth Nekamek”. (Hardness 5; HP 18; Break DC 23)

*Room:*


> The first thing you see are the bookshelves lining the walls and crammed full of ancient books of varying size and scrolls. A large table stands slightly to the left, upon which rests a three-pronged oil lamp made of silver and gold and surmounted by a tiny wooden asp. A slight scent of incense fills the air of this room. Across the room you see another wooden door, with some form of carving on it.




*Traps:*
None.

*Features:*
The room is tidy, no dust at all. All the books are in fine condition.
The oil lamp still has scented oil in it and can be lit. The lamp is worth 25gp to most merchants, but can fetch two to three times that from an dealer in antiquities. A Search check (DC 18) will allow the PCs to discover that the wooden asp can be removed from its resting spot.


> A tiny asp made from a dark wood with a circular base one inch in diameter. The word “Hafau” is etched on the base and it appears that it was made to attach to something.



The books are all religious texts and the scrolls are prophecies. They are all written in hieroglyphs, and require a Decipher Script (DC 30) to comprehend. Any character deciphering the scrolls of prophecy find them to be the dark and creepy mad ravings of an ancient prophet. Any character reading a scroll of prophecy must make a Will check with a DC of 10 plus 2 for each scroll they read. Failing the check causes 1d4 points of temporary wisdom as the ravings drag the character towards the same madness that spawned them.

Novitiate Primer: There is a book in the library that was used to teach initiates the hieroglyphic script used in many places of the tomb. If the PCs find this book (a Decipher Language check, DC 20, will allow them figure out the hieratic writing within), they can use it as a guide in translating the hieroglyphs within the tombs, granting them a +4 bonus to Decipher Script checks dealing with the hieroglyphs. Randomly searching the books will give the characters a 10% + 1% per book chance of stumbling across the primer. A specific search for such a book requires a Decipher Script check (DC 20) and then a Search check (DC 15) to find the book.

*Encounter:*
If any character touches either the books or the door to room 13 without first lighting the all three prongs of the oil lamp, the spirit bound to the library awakens. Originally a fallen follower of Toth Nekamek, it was willing bound to the library to guard the memory of Toth Nekamek.


> A dim blue light begins to emanate from beneath the floor, shining through the spaces between the floor stones. A pair of spectral hands reaches up from beneath and grips the stone floor. A moment later a ghostly form drags itself up through the floor. The form is wreathed in the tatters of once fine white robes and hundreds of ghostly scorpions climb about its body. In Hieratic the spirit shouts “Ye who would defile the memory of Toth Nekamek shall not be suffered to live!” While it speaks, the spectral form coalesces into a solid form and lunges with its outstretched hands.



The wight attacks whoever’s action awoke it.

*Wight:* CR 3; LA —; Medium undead; HD 4d12; hp 26; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14; Base Atk +2; Grp +3; Atk Slam +3 melee (1d4+1 plus energy drain); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA create spawn, energy drain; SQ darkvision 60 ft., undead traits; AL (Always) LE; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +5; Str 12, Dex 12, Con —, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 15.
*Languages:* Common
*Skills and Feats:* Hide +8, Listen +7, Move Silently +16, Spot +7; Alertness, Blind–Fight. (Wights have a +8 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.)
*Create Spawn (Su):* Any humanoid slain by a wight becomes a wight in 1d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the wight that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life. 
*Energy Drain (Su):* Living creatures hit by a wight’s slam attack gain one negative level. The DC is 14 for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is Charisma-based. For each such negative level bestowed, the wight gains 5 temporary hit points.
*Combat:* Wights attack by hammering with their fists.


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## Shallown (May 26, 2004)

I have to agree with MArk here. It is Amazing How Cooperative the Cooperative dungeons are turning out. It makes the Editors work so much easier becuase the contributors are pulling it all together. 

As far as this dungeon goes it seems to be one that they will have to hit and run some. Seems tough to me which is cool I prefer places you can't mow through in one shot. 

Thanks again everyone.

Later


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## Erekose13 (May 26, 2004)

Indeed this is coming together really quickly, nice work all. Sorry I havent been more talkative, since putting in my room. Things got rapidly busy for me over the past couple of days. Glad I managed to get it in cause it looks like I would have missed the boat on another great dungeon had I waited.  I will have a look through all the other rooms that have popped up in the past day, but there was one concern I have. If players miss the secret door in area 14, what clues have we left them to clue in to the fact that there is more to the dungeon than the gnoll's depradations?  I know there are the room keys for area 21 scattered through out the dungeon, but what if as someone suggested, players just assume they are art objects to sell.  My question may already have been answered, pardon me if it has - like I said earlier I havent had a chance to read all of the rooms in detail yet.


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

Erekose,

The keys function is to bypass a trap, not to pass through a door, so even if the PC's don't solve the riddle, they will still be able to proceed, albeit in bad condition before meeting the BBEG.  

I'm glad you could be part of CD4. As you saw, these rooms get filled within 48 hours, so it is hard to slip one in !


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## Shallown (May 26, 2004)

Erekose13

that's sort of one of my jobs when I do the initial edit is to make sure the little inconsistences are covered. If someone doesn't interject something to cover those circumstances I will. I think the keys won'tbe just thrown aside if the players find 2 or more. Since they seem to have the same 1 inch bases and such. (if memory serves) I hope most players will lock into this motif and not discard them. Even if they do it just makes it harder not impossible which is acceptable.

No need to pardon you for asking questions. I much prefer these questions and answers come from the contributors/others than from me. I still have other things I add so if everything is covered it makes my job easier and makes the dungeon more cooperative and less influenced by a single person. I want to minimize my influence so the community shines through and isn't clouded by my anal nature.

Later


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

Erekose13 said:
			
		

> If players miss the secret door in area 14, what clues have we left them to clue in to the fact that there is more to the dungeon than the gnoll's depradations?



Good point.

There's a few unobvious ways the PC's can find it. If the PC's get to interact with some gnolls before slauthering them, they might learn that the gnolls are here looking for a hidden tomb somewhere. Also, since it is the only secret door in the gnoll sector, and PC's being what they are, they might decide to make sure they didn't miss something before leaving.

I know, it's very thin. One possibility would be to have a book somewhere in celestial (which very few gnolls know how to read) explaining that the body of Toth Nekamek and his riches is buried within in a secret room, thus clueing the PC's to start searching.


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## Conaill (May 26, 2004)

Another way to get them into the hidden section... the tunnels dug by the dire badger in #14 come awfully close to rooms #16 and #19. Let's say that on a successful Search check (DC 15 or so?) in the partially collapsed western badger tunnel they find traces of solid, worked stone - the outside of the wall of #16.

Let's call it Hewn stone: 3 ft. thick, break DC 50, hardness 8, 540 hp. Far from easy to get through, but it would at least tell them *something* is there. Maybe they'll decide to go straight through the wall, especially if they have some adamantine tools. 

Hm... anyone have actual *stats* for a miner's pick? It's listed as 3 gp, 10 lb. in the SRD, but I can't figure out how much damage it does. There is a Heavy pick _weapon_, which is 8gp, 6lb. and does 1d6 damage - but that's not even enough to get through the normal hardness 8 of rock! Do you need to hope for that 1-in-20 crit to actually be able to chip off some rock?


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## Slife (May 26, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Hm... anyone have actual *stats* for a miner's pick? It's listed as 3 gp, 10 lb. in the SRD, but I can't figure out how much damage it does. There is Heavy pick _weapon_, which is 8gp, 6lb. and does 1d6 damage - but that's not even enough to get through the normal hardness 8 of rock! Do you need to hope for that 1-in-20 crit to actually be able to chip off some rock?




On the other hand, the damage delt is against creatures, not rock.  A jackhammer is entirely impractical to be used as a weapon, but it works pretty well for construction.  I'm guessing that the GM would just call it a tool and use a skill check.


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## Wycen (May 26, 2004)

Shallown said:
			
		

> I have to agree with MArk here. It is Amazing How Cooperative the Cooperative dungeons are turning out. It makes the Editors work so much easier becuase the contributors are pulling it all together.
> 
> As far as this dungeon goes it seems to be one that they will have to hit and run some. Seems tough to me which is cool I prefer places you can't mow through in one shot.
> 
> ...




Yes, it is pretty amazing.  

I finished my first read through of all the posts so far and I'm considering changing Nazgra from a druid to an Adept.  It seems many of the encounters are tough and I think removing the animal companion, which will reduce the Encounter Level of Room 7, might be a judicial.  Hmm.  I suppose I could just remove her animal companion with a note that the snake was killed in the same incident with Room 14 and the shaman, which I need to reflect in my post anyway.


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## Ferret (May 26, 2004)

ikazuchi said:
			
		

> *Room 12 – Toth Nekamek’s Library* (by Daryl Gubler – Ikazuchi)




I had planned (hoped) that room twelve would be extremely well lock and not entered, but don't change for me. This way it makes sense that the doppelganger in my rooom is unharmed and the room can be unlocked. Perhaps a text can be written in that the next room is only for the higher priests etc, and the lock be smashed beyond repai/picking but not openable.

Also if toth did go demon by accident, and I don't think it should be my descion alone, I can change it quite easily, I even have a good replacement to go in there.

Can I have the asp rod if it's up for grabs. I can hide really sneakily.


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## tarchon (May 26, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Another way to get them into the hidden section... the tunnels dug by the dire badger in #14 come awfully close to rooms #16 and #19. Let's say that on a successful Search check (DC 15 or so?) in the partially collapsed western badger tunnel they find traces of solid, worked stone - the outside of the wall of #16.




I think if it's made clear that the outer part is part of a tomb complex, players will figure out that there's more to it, since there aren't really any tombs in the outer part that give the impression of being the focus of a large complex.
With 14, I'm a little confused as to what those tunnels are supposed to be.  It's written as though they're ancient, with that "wrong way" relief, but I can't figure why there would be an ancient tunnel that goes a couple dozen feet to nowhere and has carvings that say "don't go here."  And then a giant badger happened to move in and dig out two extra spurs in the last day or so?
I guess if I was a player, I'd probably make friends with the badger somehow and have it dig more tunnels.


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## Conaill (May 26, 2004)

Yes, it does seem a little unlikely, doesn't it? 

How about this: the original ancient tunnel is just a dead end with a pit trap - plenty of those in real egyptian tombs. For some reason, the gnolls decided to extend the tunnel further (perhaps thinking, like you did, that it has to go *somewhere*). Unbeknownst to them, they undermined a dire badger tunnel immediately above them. So when the badger wandered through, its own tunnel collapsed and it fell into the Gnoll's tunnel. 

One branch of #14 would be the Gnoll tunnel, the other one is a branch of the badger's tunnel (perhaps a dead-end used as a larder for roots and nuts). The other end of the badger tunnel is blocked from the collapse, and the badger hasn't yet had time to dig it out.

Tallfellow: does this sound like a reasonable reinterpretation of your writeup for #14?


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## tarchon (May 26, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Yes, it does seem a little unlikely, doesn't it?
> 
> How about this: the original ancient tunnel is just a dead end with a pit trap - plenty of those in real egyptian tombs. For some reason, the gnolls decided to extend the tunnel further (perhaps thinking, like you did, that it has to go *somewhere*). Unbeknownst to them, they undermined a dire badger tunnel immediately above them. So when the badger wandered through, its own tunnel collapsed and it fell into the Gnoll's tunnel.



Maybe the gnolls were using the (possibly trained) badger to dig and the Evil Aura of Chaos made it go berzerk?


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## Trainz (May 26, 2004)

When I designed the map, I intended those unfinished tunnels to be the gnoll's excavations efforts to find the inner tomb (there is a pile of dirt in room 1, and it is described in room 1 that gnolls come outside with bags of dirth to empty them there).


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## Conaill (May 27, 2004)

Yeah, I know. Tallfellow's version threw me off guard a little, but I'm willing to run with it. and with tarchon's or my own reinterpretation, it would still fit in perfectly.

Let's hope he wanders by and sees this at some point.


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## Phineas Crow (May 27, 2004)

I'm working on finishing up room 21, here is a draft of a brief write-up on Chaos, any feedback/ideas welcome.

"Encounter (EL 6): Chaos, the Babau, only dimly remembers its former life. Long ago it once was a human king named Toth Nekamek. When Toth died his soul was sent to one of the lower planes, where it wandered for over a millennia before being granted its current form as a babau by a greater demon in exchange for eternal servitude. Chaos, after centuries of toiling under its demonic lord, now wishes to gain back the power it vaguely remembers having during its past life. It spent years tracking down the tomb where its previous body now rests in hopes of restoring life it to life. As a reanimated Toth Nekamek Chaos would gain back its former power and be free of the yoke of its demonic lord."


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## Trainz (May 27, 2004)

That is impeccable Phineas.


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## tarchon (May 27, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> When I designed the map, I intended those unfinished tunnels to be the gnoll's excavations efforts to find the inner tomb (there is a pile of dirt in room 1, and it is described in room 1 that gnolls come outside with bags of dirth to empty them there).




Yeah, the gnolls digging the tunnels does much for pointing out the existence of the hidden section of the dungeon.

Just as something else to throw in, if the badger is some kind of trained tunnel-digging badger, a set of adamantine claw sheaths might work, just to ease potential doubts about the ability of dire badgers to tunnel through solid rock, especially since the SRD says they can't burrow through solid rock.


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## Conaill (May 27, 2004)

Ok, my own post is now pretty much fleshed out as well. Come check out Room 20 - Yinepu's Vigil for a most badass little doggie! Complete with some original photographs to set the mood...

What do you think, did I use enough curses? I was also considering making the schrine act as a Flask of Curses (-2 on anyone within 30', Will DC 17), but that might be a little too much...

Note that I also added some optional elements for those DM's who want to ratchet up the difficulty level a bit: sand falling fom the ceiling after Yinepu's death (time limit for completing the rest of the dungeon), encountering Yinepu's ghost on the way out...


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## Phineas Crow (May 27, 2004)

Is there any specific rules for designing magical items?

Here is an Object of Power I threw together, I just took a wild guess at the vitals... any ideas are welcome, i'm also open to alternate powers suggestions.

Death Mask of King Toth Nekamek: This golden mask is fashioned to resemble the head of a jackal. The mask bestows on its wearer a +1 deflection bonus to armor and a +4 competence bonus on Wisdom-based skill checks.
Faint divination; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, shield of faith, owl’s wisdom; Market Price: 2500 gp


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## Conaill (May 27, 2004)

Check Creating Magic Items in the SRD. 

1) a +1 deflection bonus is worth 2000 gp by itself

2) a +4 competence bonus to a *single* skill is 1600 gp. For *all* Wis-based skills, you'd use the "Multiple Similar Abilities" rule: 1600 for the first, 1200 for the second, and 800 any others. There's a total of 6 Wis-based core skills, so that would be 1600+1200+4x800 = 6000 gp (a bargain, because I counted Profession as only a single skill!)

Putting these together, you add 50% of the price of the cheaper ability, so 10,000 gp total. Then if you make it a *mask* (i.e. taking up the "goggles" slot on the body), you'll have to pay another 50% on top of that, so 15,000 gp. (as a helmet, 10,000 gp would be fine)


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## Phineas Crow (May 27, 2004)

Ok, here is an updated version.

Death Mask of King Toth Nekamek: This golden mask is fashioned to resemble the head of a jackal. The mask bestows on its wearer a +1 deflection bonus to armor and a +2 competence bonus on Sense Motive and Spot skill checks.
Faint divination; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item, shield of faith, owl’s wisdom; Market Price: 4200 gp


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## fnork de sporg (May 27, 2004)

Hmm, last one in. 


OK, here's what I've got so tell me what you think. I'm totally willing to edit for format, content, or whatever. Just let me know.

Room 11

Tomb of the Magus

Door: This unusually solid and thick stone door is jammed shut. There is no obvious handle or other means of opening it beyond its destruction. (Strength DC 25, Hardness 8, Hit Points 108) Repeated banging upon the outside of the door will awaken the spirit within which will begin to wail loudly and horribly. Only a few glyphs are still readable, the words Death, Doom, Betrayal, and Magus, all written in Hieratic (Decipher Script DC 20). The door and walls all have the Ghost Touch enhancement, and thus radiate magic, and cannot be passed through by ethereal creatures.



> This heavy stone door seems to be made from a single uncut piece of marble. It shows obvious signs of the gnoll’s attempts at forced entry. The stone is pockmarked with the scars of hammers, picks, and other less appropriate weapons. A complex series of delicately carved glyphs once adorned the center of the door but has now been partially destroyed by the gnoll’s untender ministrations and much of it has been rendered illegible.



Room



> This stone room is completely empty except for the dust covered bones of the Magus. The walls and ceiling are built from massive blocks of uncut marble ten feet wise and eight feet tall. They are completely covered with thousands of lines of small glyphs running top to bottom.
> 
> A bare human skeleton lies in the direct center of the room in one hand clutching a dagger that has been pierced through its ribs roughly where the heart would be. It is covered with the dust that its clothes and belongings have long ago rotted in to.



Features: 

1: Glyphs- A Read Magic spell will reveal them to be ancient arcane lore. Given the proper amount of time the following spells can be found inscribed, Disrupt Undead, Protection From Evil, Detect Undead, Comprehend Languages, Command Undead, and Ghoul Touch. 

2: Skeleton- A Divination or, at the DM’s discretion, sufficient anatomical knowledge will reveal the dagger wound to be self-inflicted. Sealed in while still alive and intended to serve as court magi in the underworld this traitorous servant attempted to spite his lord by becoming undead, thus denying Nekamek ownership of his soul.

3: Dagger of Lost Souls- This +2 Ghost Touch dagger is made from iron and wrapped in thin bands of silver. It’s hilt is adorned with a remarkably realistic silver jackal’s head. Any creature slain by the Dagger of Lost Souls will return as a wraith in 1d4 days.

Encounter (EL 4): The wraith of the Magus still haunts this room and will immediately attack any living creatures that enter. He is an adult human wearing light robes, and a tall rounded hat three feet in height. He has a long mustache but no beard and his feet are visibly bare. He has gone completely insane from lack of stimuli. He remembers nothing of his former life or of once being human, he no longer even knows how to talk let alone use effective tactics. He will simply rush attacking until he is destroyed or has slain all. When not hovering motionless above his own remains he constantly wails and screams in a most unpleasant and disturbing manner. Having long ago forgotten about the world outside he has little interest in leaving his room. He will not follow retreating characters in to the hallway unless of course they continue the attack from there, such as with spells or ranged weapons, and if left alone will pathetically attempt to rebuild the shattered pieces of the once massive Ghost Touch door. He will have little success at this.

Wraith of the Magus: CR 5, Medium Undead (Incorporeal), HD 5d12, HP 32, Inish +7, AC 15 (t15, ff12), Speed: Fly 60 ft., BAB +2, Attack: Incorporeal Touch +5 melee (1d4 plus 1d6 Constitution drain), Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (1d4 plus 1d6 Constitution drain), Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft., Special Attacks: Constitution drain, create spawn, Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., daylight powerlessness, incorporeal traits, +2 turn resistance, undead traits, unnatural aura, Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +6, Abilities: Str —, Dex 16, Con —, Int 4, Wis 14, Cha 15, Skills: Hide +11, Intimidate +10, Listen +12, Search +10, Spot +12, Survival +2 (+4 following tracks), Feats: AlertnessB, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved InitiativeB


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## Conaill (May 27, 2004)

Sounds about right.

If this is really a *golden* mask, don't forget to add some gp value and weight for that as well! (50 gp = 1lb, the famous mask of Tutankhamen weighs 11 kg or about 20 lb and should probably count as a helmet rather than a mask)


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## Ferret (May 27, 2004)

Any response to my post?


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## Phineas Crow (May 27, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> Any response to my post?




You mean the one about the rod?

All rods are in room 8, and I'm pretty sure all the figurines now have rooms. Thanks for volunteering though, and thanks to all the others that volunteered to place keys too.


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## Conaill (May 27, 2004)

Any comments on #21?


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## Phineas Crow (May 27, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Any comments on #21?




I liked it, especially the swarm of Ushabti.


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## fnork de sporg (May 27, 2004)

Yeah, the ushabti are probably my favorite thing in the whole dungeon. 


I know that, regardless of whether or not I run this module, the ushabti swarm will definitely be making an appearance in my game. They're that nifty.


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## Conaill (May 27, 2004)

Thanks. I changed the name to Shawabti BTW - just a synonym really. I noticed that there's a CR 7 Ushabti planned for Horde Book 5: Tomb of the MUMMY by Behemoth3. Best to avoid any confusion...

Of course, for visual effect it's best for Yinepu to call on the Shawabti swarm *just* before he casts Darkness. "You see _something_ stirring all around the walls. Then everything turns black..."


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## tarchon (May 28, 2004)

fnork de sporg said:
			
		

> Hmm, last one in.
> 
> 
> OK, here's what I've got so tell me what you think. I'm totally willing to edit for format, content, or whatever. Just let me know.




It's a great tomb-room - just two things, first "magi" is plural - one is a "magus," and the other thing is that the QUOTE descriptions are the text designed to be read to the players when they enter the room, so they shouldn't contain anything that isn't fairly obvious to players entering the room and just looking around casually.  Like, you have text that indicates what they would be able to read with a Comprehend Languages spell, which the players may or may not choose to cast.  Definitely avoid giving away anything important that players would have to do investigation to figure out.
What several other people and I have done with inscriptions is to give their meanings in the text for the DM with a Decipher Script difficulty.  The convention that's slowly evolved in the previous rooms is that there's a Hieroglyphic script which is DC 30 and a second script, Hieratic, which is DC 20.
Historically, those are Egyptian writing forms.  Hieroglyphics are the familiar picture writing that was (after a very early initial period) used mainly for formal and religious inscriptions.  Hieratic is a simplified form of hieroglyphic writing that was used mainly for writing on wood and papyrus (in reality, it was very rarely used for inscriptions), but it encodes the same language, just with simpler symbols and more streamlined rules.  Additionally, there was a 3rd script in that family called Demotic which was developed very late in Egyptian history and actually was used in inscriptions, but sticking with a two-tier system of hard Hieroglyphics and easier Hieratic in this dungeon makes sense.  My feeling on it is that things that you really want to be read should be in the DC 20 category (or perhaps even less), since a DC 30 is going to require real effort for PCs in the 3rd-5th level range.


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## Conaill (May 28, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> The convention that's slowly evolved in the previous rooms is that there's a Hieroglyphic script which is DC 30 and a second script, Hieratic, which is DC 20.
> [...]
> My feeling on it is that things that you really want to be read should be in the DC 20 category (or perhaps even less), since a DC 30 is going to require real effort for PCs in the 3rd-5th level range.



Yeah, that's a point I wanted to bring up as well. Shouldn't we lower those DC's? By a *lot*? I don't see how *any* 3rd level PC is going to get a DC 30 Decipher Script check without some help... [Hmm.. then again, I guess it _is_ possible to "take 20" on Decipher script, but many parties don't have anyone with Decipher Script at a +10]

If we stick with the DC's as listed, we should at the very least include some sort of "Rosetta stone". Maybe a translating dictionary from a later era in one of the libraries (which would imply that the front part of the tomb was in use well after the actual hidden chambers were sealed up), or perhaps a volume that the gnolls brought with them...


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## Conaill (May 28, 2004)

That'll teach me to look at the actual skill first: 







> DECIPHER SCRIPT (INT; *TRAINED ONLY*)
> 
> Check: You can decipher writing in an unfamiliar language or a message written in an incomplete or archaic form. *The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard texts, and 30 or higher for intricate, exotic, or very old writing.*
> 
> ...



Ok, so it seems like the DC's _are_ within the recommended range. But the "Try Again: No." implies you can't take 20, so the DC 30 is pretty much useless for a low-level party (and the DC 20 will be really tough as well). Also forget about having to read anything in a hurry...

We should really add some sort of translating dictionary, I think. Even a +10 to skill wouldn't be outrageous: makes the Hieratic automatic with a "take 10", but the Hieroglyphics will still be plenty hard...


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## Phineas Crow (May 28, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> [snip]...We should really add some sort of translating dictionary, I think. Even a +10 to skill wouldn't be outrageous: makes the Hieratic automatic with a "take 10", but the Hieroglyphics will still be plenty hard...




...or a stack of comprehend languages scrolls.


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## fnork de sporg (May 28, 2004)

I could put Comprehend Language as one of the spells written in to the walls of room 11.


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## tarchon (May 28, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> That'll teach me to look at the actual skill first:
> Ok, so it seems like the DC's _are_ within the recommended range. But the "Try Again: No." implies you can't take 20, so the DC 30 is pretty much useless for a low-level party (and the DC 20 will be really tough as well). Also forget about having to read anything in a hurry...
> 
> We should really add some sort of translating dictionary, I think. Even a +10 to skill wouldn't be outrageous: makes the Hieratic automatic with a "take 10", but the Hieroglyphics will still be plenty hard...




Yeah,  I based the Hieroglyphic DC on that.  Traditionally, it's always been a pretty tough task in D&D.  In the earlier editions, it was next to impossible to get Read Languages up to any kind of decent percentile until mid-levels.   I was figuring that spells would probably be required unless there was a bard in the party who'd really put some serious ranks into Decipher.  For Hieratic, a typical 3rd level bard will have about a 1/4 chance, and since there are plenty of inscriptions floating around, anyone with ranks in it will probably pick up a few of them here and there.
I agree though, it might be nice to throw in an abecedary or something that gives a circumstance bonus.  +10 might be a bit much since this is supposed to be a very hard skill, but +2 or +5ish might be reasonable.  I could drop one in 15, though it might work better in another room, like the library.  Historically, abecedaries have been found on writing tablets, stones, occasionally even ornaments.


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## Trainz (May 28, 2004)

Wow. I really like the Rosetta stone concept. Please insert it in one of the rooms.


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## Phineas Crow (May 28, 2004)

While its not finished yet, I've updated what I have for room #21.

All I really have to do is clean it up some and strengthen the traps.


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## tarchon (May 28, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> While its not finished yet, I've updated what I have for room #21.
> 
> All I really have to do is clean it up some and strengthen the traps.




I like it.  The entire party is going to die horribly, slimed and rotting, but I like it. 
(I think "rabidly"="rapidly", BTW)


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## Phineas Crow (May 28, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> I like it.  The entire party is going to die horribly, slimed and rotting, but I like it.




Its a lot tamer than what I had originally planned, which was to use a giant croc (CR 4) and huge viper (CR 3) with the mummy.



> (I think "rabidly"="rapidly", BTW)




Good catch, I probably read that section three times and missed that.


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## tarchon (May 28, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> Its a lot tamer than what I had originally planned, which was to use a giant croc (CR 4) and huge viper (CR 3) with the mummy.




Well, one thing they'll have going for them is that any sane PC will have made preparations to fight a mummy by the time they get to this point.


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## tarchon (May 28, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> Wow. I really like the Rosetta stone concept. Please insert it in one of the rooms.



I worked something kind of like it into 15, but somebody could always put something else in if they want to.


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## ikazuchi (May 28, 2004)

*Some quick questions.*

Okay, here a short list of things:
1) The doppleganger in Rm.13 probably knows the heiroglyphs and Hieretic languages.

2) I can slide a rosetta stone into Rm.12 or Ferret can slide it into rm 13. Since those are the libraries, not a big surprise.

3) As for the tomb complex, if the PCs miss the hidden door, there's still the human prisoners the gnolls are sacrificing to question (if they resucue them), the doppleganger, the theif in the storage room, books in the libraries (rooms 12 & 13), and any gnolls they can interrogate. If after all that and the obvious escavation, the PCs should find the rest of the bloody tomb.

Other issues:
Rooms 1 & 2: If there are gnolls here, who have been here a while, plus any grave robbers that might have wandered by since the tomb was sealed, why are there any precious-stones laying around easily (and not-so-easily) grabbed? If the PCs can take the gems (the lapis lazuli eyes), the gnolls, at the very least, should already have done so.

Rooms 3 & 4:
Some of the ELs (Daytime ELs of 6-8) at the beginning of a dungeon for 3rd level characters is kind of like an awaiting meat grinder. Should those encounters be toned down?

Room 17: The Elhoriad Encounter
Since the Elhoriad is not a part of the SRD, doesn't that encounter need a major revamping? This was brought up and then kinda dropped.

And finally:
What is the final-ish back story for the tomb that we're going with? That'll help cement alot of the flavor for the tomb. Alot of us can go clean up our rooms with the same history binding them together.


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## ikazuchi (May 28, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> I had planned (hoped) that room twelve would be extremely well lock and not entered, but don't change for me. This way it makes sense that the doppelganger in my rooom is unharmed and the room can be unlocked. Perhaps a text can be written in that the next room is only for the higher priests etc, and the lock be smashed beyond repai/picking but not openable.
> 
> Also if toth did go demon by accident, and I don't think it should be my descion alone, I can change it quite easily, I even have a good replacement to go in there.
> 
> Can I have the asp rod if it's up for grabs. I can hide really sneakily.




I figure the ritual that bound the wight to room 12 keeps him from leaving room 12, even so far as he can't enter the hallway or room 13. As an idea, when the doppelganger entered the room, he escaped the wight. Now however, if attempts to exit the room, the wight immediately manifests to strike at him, and that's why he hasn't left room 13. The gnolls orginally entered room 12, touched a book, and the wight appeared and almost killed the offending gnolls. Not willing to deal with really creepy undead over a bunch of worthless books, the gnolls marked the room as dangerous and bached the lock to even further remind the stupid ones not to wander in.

I'll redo the Door: section of room 12 to make it more difficult to enter (I think I set it too easily as it was, after all, that's one mashed lock).

The doppleganger, however, should be reluctant to exit room 13 if the PCs didn't fight the wight (by some strange streak of luck). If he does, and the wight hasn't been slain, it should form immediately to strike at someone who has 'violated the memory of Toth Nekamek'.

Also, would it significantly raise the EL if whenever the wight disappates (3-4 rounds after it removed the threat to the library, either through killing it or chasing it off), when it does reappear (another trigger, or someone already marked reentering the room) it is completely healed by the spellls binding it as protector of the libraries?


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## Conaill (May 28, 2004)

Ferret: there's a problem with the Doppelganger in #13 the way you've written it. It's not immune to aging, and I believe the tomb has been sealed for "over a millenia" (see #21).

Now, of course we don't know how *old* doppelgangers get. If you want, we could make him Venerable age: -6 to all physical stats, +3 to all mental stats. Would make it a very different encounter of course: more subterfuge, less combat. Could give him an extra class level to make up for the loss of physical stats, but not all encounters have to be CR 4 or 5+.

Alternatively, we could assume that the front part of the tomb (#2-14) has been sealed much more recently - perhaps only a century ago. Or we'd have to redo the total age of the tomb - I think most of us would prefer it to be at least a few centuries old though...


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## Trainz (May 28, 2004)

ikazuchi said:
			
		

> Rooms 1 & 2: If there are gnolls here, who have been here a while, plus any grave robbers that might have wandered by since the tomb was sealed, why are there any precious-stones laying around easily (and not-so-easily) grabbed? If the PCs can take the gems (the lapis lazuli eyes), the gnolls, at the very least, should already have done so.



Thanks for bringing that up, I have modified the description of room 1 to reflect that.


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## Conaill (May 28, 2004)

Hmm... not sure I see any changes in #1. Still says "The two huge jackal statue's eyes and reliefs sculptures are gems, lapis lazuli worth 10 g.p. each (26 in all)."

Regarding the "Rosetta Stone"... let's *not* make it a stone, they'd be expecting that . There's no reason we couldn't have multiple aids for reading the inscriptions. For example, I would make the +2 bonus in #15 a non-stackable insight bonus (seems to fit better). Then we could also have a translating dictionary between hieratic and hieroglypics in the library, giving a circumstance bonus (for being able to consult the dictionary) that reduces the hieroglyphic DC to the hieratic DC +5. And perhaps a set of notes by one of the gnoll clerics that gives another +2 circumstance bonus to both DC's. Combining all three, hieratic DC would drop to 16, and hieroglyphic to 21 (or 19, depending on how the last two stack).


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## Wycen (May 28, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Regarding the "Rosetta Stone"... let's *not* make it a stone, they'd be expecting that . There's no reason we couldn't have multiple aids for reading the inscriptions. For example, I would make the +2 bonus in #15 a non-stackable insight bonus (seems to fit better). Then we could also have a translating dictionary between hieratic and hieroglypics in the library, giving a circumstance bonus (for being able to consult the dictionary) that reduces the hieroglyphic DC to the hieratic DC +5. And perhaps a set of notes by one of the gnoll clerics that gives another +2 circumstance bonus to both DC's. Combining all three, hieratic DC would drop to 16, and hieroglyphic to 21 (or 19, depending on how the last two stack).




I have a book in room 7 that could have a few notes regarding translation, though the condition of the book means the players might overlook it.



> Ferret: there's a problem with the Doppelganger in #13 the way you've written it. It's not immune to aging, and I believe the tomb has been sealed for "over a millenia" (see #21).




Depending on treasure level, maybe a ring of sustenance could be used, or perhaps the room has a connection to the astral (thus slowing time), or maybe the doppleganger was imprisoned, via the spell, which puts the target in status.  However, I believe I read that idea in another room, so best not to over use the trick.


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## Trainz (May 29, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Hmm... not sure I see any changes in #1. Still says "The two huge jackal statue's eyes and reliefs sculptures are gems, lapis lazuli worth 10 g.p. each (26 in all)."



Do a forced refresh of that page (shift F5 or somesuch)

*



			Features :
		
Click to expand...


*


> The two huge jackal statue's eyes and reliefs sculptures are gems, lapis lazuli worth 10 g.p. each (26 in all). They are 10 feet or more above ground, so are not readily reachable. Climbing the facade and stone statues is a DC 20 climb check. Standing from the ground, it is hard to see that there are gems in the sculptures and statues eyes (spot check DC 16) but close examination (if climbing) will make them very obvious.


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## Conaill (May 29, 2004)

The version I'm seeing still has the 26 x 10 gp gems. Do you mean you added that DC 20 climb check to make them harder to get to? I thought that you would be removing them altogether, but I guess you didn't say *how* you were going to modify the description...

Actually, if this tomb is really more than a thousand years old, the statues may be heavily eroded. A "magnificent stone structure" like this would probably have been raided a long a time ago, unless this is an extremely remote area and/or there was some sort of magical protection (hmm... maybe some scorch marks and gnoll corpses outside the tomb might be approriate  )


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## Elephant (May 29, 2004)

ikazuchi said:
			
		

> Rooms 3 & 4:
> Some of the ELs (Daytime ELs of 6-8) at the beginning of a dungeon for 3rd level characters is kind of like an awaiting meat grinder. Should those encounters be toned down?
> 
> What is the final-ish back story for the tomb that we're going with? That'll help cement alot of the flavor for the tomb. Alot of us can go clean up our rooms with the same history binding them together.




And 6:  Definitely.  However, I'm caught up in this idea of a dynamic room status, and I'm not sure how to avoid having a large number of sleeping troops in the barracks.  For this dungeon, I may have to drop the dynamic aspect and set it up as 1d4+1 Gnolls dicing or something like that.  I'll think about ways to balance the room better.


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## Trainz (May 29, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> The version I'm seeing still has the 26 x 10 gp gems. Do you mean you added that DC 20 climb check to make them harder to get to? I thought that you would be removing them altogether, but I guess you didn't say *how* you were going to modify the description...
> 
> Actually, if this tomb is really more than a thousand years old, the statues may be heavily eroded. A "magnificent stone structure" like this would probably have been raided a long a time ago, unless this is an extremely remote area and/or there was some sort of magical protection (hmm... maybe some scorch marks and gnoll corpses outside the tomb might be approriate  )



No... I've added the following: " Standing from the ground, it is hard to see that there are gems in the sculptures and statues eyes (spot check DC 16) but close examination (if climbing) will make them very obvious. ". 

Someone walking on the ground will probably miss them, unless it's a critter with a big spot skill. This room assumes that none saw it so far. I know, a DC 16 check ain't THAT hard. Still, who's to say it's impossible that no-one saw 'em so far ? Could be any number of reasons. They might be very dusty. They might be very small and they're high above ground. That face of the mountain might be in the shade most of the time.

It's good to justify stuff in dungeons, but one does not need to go overboard on such things.


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## ikazuchi (May 29, 2004)

Actually, steal a page from AEG's World's Largest Dungeon; add in EL reduction notes, such as:


> To reduce the EL from 6 to 4, remove 3 Gnolls.
> _(this is off the top of my head, so don't take those numbers as being correct for EL reduction)_



I thought that was a great way to easy the DM's burden of modifing encounters for their own playgroup power level and/or size. If we do that to all the encounters, we could make the dungeon a 3rd-5th level adventure easy.

This still doesn't fix the OGL issues with the Elhorian(sp?) encounter.


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## Conaill (May 29, 2004)

Here's another vote for changing the randomized room. The main problem I see is with #6 pulling together opponents from a whole bunch of other rooms, which screws up *those* encounters. It's like saying "we designed a whole bunch of really cool encounters for you ... or if you're unlucky, we'll just dump them all on you all at the same time".

You could definitely still have a time schedule to decide how many gnolls are where and doing what, but I wouldn't reuse any NPCs from elsewhere in the dungeon. I would also try to stick to acceptable ELs for a 3rd level party. That means probably no more than 6 gnolls (EL 6) at a time. (Your listed ELs for #4 seem to be off: 4 CR1's is EL 5, 8 gnolls is EL 7, 12 gnolls is EL 8)

How about 2-4 awake gnolls at night (EL 3-5), 6 *deeply* sleeping gnolls during the day (i.e. assume the party can get the jump on them, that should make it EL 5 or so).


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## tarchon (May 29, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Actually, if this tomb is really more than a thousand years old, the statues may be heavily eroded. A "magnificent stone structure" like this would probably have been raided a long a time ago, unless this is an extremely remote area and/or there was some sort of magical protection (hmm... maybe some scorch marks and gnoll corpses outside the tomb might be approriate  )




Depends on the stone - granite statues would hardly weather at all in a thousand years.


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## tarchon (May 29, 2004)

Elephant said:
			
		

> And 6:  Definitely.  However, I'm caught up in this idea of a dynamic room status, and I'm not sure how to avoid having a large number of sleeping troops in the barracks.  For this dungeon, I may have to drop the dynamic aspect and set it up as 1d4+1 Gnolls dicing or something like that.  I'll think about ways to balance the room better.




Dynamic rooms work better when they cover a whole system of rooms, like a group of cells or bedrooms.  Given that they currently have a dire badger running amok in 14 with a pile of dead gnolls, I'd guess the troops might be a bit busy.   I know if I had a 500 pound badger running loose and killing everyone, I wouldn't be taking a snooze.


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## tarchon (May 29, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> For example, I would make the +2 bonus in #15 a non-stackable insight bonus (seems to fit better).




Yeah, I suppose insight works better.

BTW, in the spelling & grammar domain, "over a millenia" in room #21 should be "over a millennium."  And in #20, "It's eyes and ears are outlined in gold" should have "its" for "it's".


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## Elephant (May 29, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> You could definitely still have a time schedule to decide how many gnolls are where and doing what, but I wouldn't reuse any NPCs from elsewhere in the dungeon. I would also try to stick to acceptable ELs for a 3rd level party. That means probably no more than 6 gnolls (EL 6) at a time. (Your listed ELs for #4 seem to be off: 4 CR1's is EL 5, 8 gnolls is EL 7, 12 gnolls is EL 8)
> 
> How about 2-4 awake gnolls at night (EL 3-5), 6 *deeply* sleeping gnolls during the day (i.e. assume the party can get the jump on them, that should make it EL 5 or so).




According to the EL chart, 4 CR1s offers an EL of 3, 4, OR 5.  Likewise, 8 CR1s is EL 6 OR 7.  Given that they're sleeping or dicing and therefore much easier to take by surprise, I thought that the lower ELs were justified.

Either way, I agree that the difficulty is just too high, given the way these rooms interact with Rooms 2 and 5.  I'll ratchet down the numbers and forget about trying to make a coherent Gnoll force function in the background framework 


Edit:  Rooms 4 and 6 updated to reflect the above discussion.  Party survival is a GOOD thing!


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## Conaill (May 29, 2004)

ikazuchi said:
			
		

> 2) I can slide a rosetta stone into Rm.12 or Ferret can slide it into rm 13. Since those are the libraries, not a big surprise.



I think #12 would be the perfect location for a hieroglyphic to hieratic translating dictionary. Considering that #13 is *all* in hieroglyphics.

I like the idea of having the hieroglyphic DC linked to the hieratic DC, so if your hieratic Decipher Script improves, your hieroglyphic D.S. automatically improves as well if you have the dictionary on hand. Not sure how to phrase it consicely and unambiguously though. Maybe we should just give a bonus on hieroglyphics alone (circumstance bonus this time, because you have to have the dictionary at hand).

Thullgrim: Could you give Fang Karak in #3 a few points in Decipher Script, plus a booklet with notes on how to decipher these inscriptions? Your guy seems the only one with enough brains to do that...  (Alternatively, the human wizard captive isthe only NPC so far (I think) who has Decipher Script as a class skill. Maybe the gnolls forced him into deciphering them? Less likely, since they were sent here to stop the gnolls.)


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## ConnorSB (May 29, 2004)

Could anyone maybe comment on my room, the Hall of Final Justice: 

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1556549#post1556549

I'm not sure I wrote the right god down, but its basically supposed to be a physical representation of the place the old king would go to be judged in the afterlife. The Jackel-god and his advisors sit in on this judgement, and each one has a chair and an item dedicated to them (in hopes that they, you know, make the "right decision.")


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## The Forsaken One (May 29, 2004)

Later today I'll finish my room. I'll cancel out the Elhoriad and just homebrew something or use a ghoul instead so that should be ok. For the rest I just need to check the room and finish the [Encounter] entry.

Storywise Nyovne inprisoned there was a rogue, and a charming one at that. So charming that even though she was a female human she still was one of the suitors of Toth's wife... I hope noone objects to some ancient hot girl on girl action  She was heartbroken when Toth took her beloved and she set out break into his tomb and destroy his body and take his gifts ment for the afterlife so he would remain in the afterlife with a mutilated body and no posessions which he treasured in life.

But before she reached the final chamber she was lured into a devious trap by Yinepu, the Awakened Jackal Cleric. Yinepu was in a fierce battle with Nyovne when Yinepu stepped back and Nyovne fell into the soul trap Yinepu had prepared and was stuck down by the Curse of the Pharao. Nyovne found her soul stuck in her now decaying body, feeling her strengh drain away, mind go numb and her beauty peel away as her skin fell off. The last thing she saw with her almost powerless body was Yinepu sealing her into a tomb with a great stone slab and the last thing she heard was that her beloved wasn't dead. But that her soul was locked just a few yards away from Nyove. Both doomed to rot and scream forever in this forsaken crypt, bound to be lost and forgotten forever... Two lovers, cursed, doomed and withering undead souls forever kept just a few feet from each other. Never to be found..

Or not?


Something like that 

Just have to refrase it all, clean it up and stuff. But that's the story behind Room 17 and who's entombed there.


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## Wycen (May 29, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Thullgrim: (Alternatively, the human wizard captive isthe only NPC so far (I think) who has Decipher Script as a class skill. Maybe the gnolls forced him into deciphering them? Less likely, since they were sent here to stop the gnolls.)




I think that is a great way to make the scenario "come alive" as it were.  Maybe the wizard was given the choice to help or see somebody, maybe himself, die.  Though then I suppose you'd have to answer why the lady was about to be sacrificed.


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## Ferret (May 29, 2004)

Doppel gangers can change shape yeah? Why not have been one of the gnolls?

Points taken ikazuki.


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## Conaill (May 29, 2004)

ConnorSB said:
			
		

> Could anyone maybe comment on my room, the Hall of Final Justice:
> 
> http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1556549#post1556549



Looks good. I'm not sure we already have a description of the jackal god, but FYI I decided to make Yinepu in #20 LN.

One concern is that the large number of items in the room might confuse the party, because they should also be collecting items to open the door to #21.

I love the bat swarm. In fact, feel free to add the following warning on the door to this room: "They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be visited by wings of death." That's supposedly part of the original "curse of the pharao" in king Tut's tomb. I worked it into #20, but it would fit much better here. I can always come up with something else to put on my door...

The EL for your room isn't really 4, because it is unlikely the party will be facing the trap and the bat swarm simultaneously. It should probably count as two EL 2 encounters instead.

For the cursed candle, you may want to specify the effect of the curse, and/or state specifically that the choice of curse is up to the DM (so he has a little advance warning to think of something). I've been meaning to do that for the Bestow Curse in my room as well, but at least there the spell is cast by an intelligent opponent, so he can choose the optimal effect based on the curcumstances...


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## DiFier (May 29, 2004)

Hey great job guys (tho I'm still read through it)  I sorta missed this thread, but this is looking good.


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## Ferret (May 30, 2004)

Do we get free versions when we contribute or is it free anyway?

Oh and are there any loose ends?


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## Phineas Crow (May 30, 2004)

I'll finish my rooms (8 & 21) sometime during the next week.


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## Trainz (May 30, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> Do we get free versions when we contribute or is it free anyway?



Look at my .sig


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## thullgrim (May 30, 2004)

I will work on re-writing rooms #2 and #3 to reflect a more egyptian feel and remove the were-theme I had going there, as well as to hide the key I was given by Phineas.  I will have the re-writes done some time tomorrow.  Also I will change the encounter in room #3 somewhat to lower the encounter level and make it less of a killer room.

Thullgrim.


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## The Forsaken One (May 30, 2004)

Everyone ok with my idea for room 17? Especially the guys who did 20 and 16 with the connecting stories and stuff?

(the idea for the room was back on page 10).


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## Wycen (May 30, 2004)

The Forsaken One said:
			
		

> Everyone ok with my idea for room 17? Especially the guys who did 20 and 16 with the connecting stories and stuff?
> 
> (the idea for the room was back on page 10).




Sounded good to me.


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## Shallown (Jun 1, 2004)

So far everything looks killer. Can everyone who wants to start looking over the entries and check for spelling an inconsistancies.

Thanks


Come one had top have some reason to bump it


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## Conaill (Jun 1, 2004)

The Forsaken One said:
			
		

> Everyone ok with my idea for room 17? Especially the guys who did 20 and 16 with the connecting stories and stuff?
> 
> (the idea for the room was back on page 10).



The story sounds great. There's a lot of rooms with interesting background that the players otherwise may never even get to know, so it's nice to have some sort of "narrator" who can tell the players what's the story behind all of it.

Of course, you still need to get rid of the Elhoriad creature and replace it by something else - preferably something from the SRD - maybe a Wight (or do we already have one of those?).

I would also tone down the number of cursed items a bit. Maybe just the Robe of Powerlessness, plus one more. Any more than that, and they start to count as "loot": the players will assume they're *all* cursed items, carefully collect them, and either sell them or use them as a weapon against some future opponent. You've got more than 10,000 gp in cursed items here, and that seems a bit much as "treasure" for what would be a very easy encounter...


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## tarchon (Jun 1, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> I would also tone down the number of cursed items a bit. Maybe just the Robe of Powerlessness, plus one more. Any more than that, and they start to count as "loot": the players will assume they're *all* cursed items, carefully collect them, and either sell them or use them as a weapon against some future opponent. You've got more than 10,000 gp in cursed items here, and that seems a bit much as "treasure" for what would be a very easy encounter...




2nd on the curse items - it's a little much unless there's some particular reason for them being there, like she collected cursed items or they were warped by chaotic evil influences.


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## ikazuchi (Jun 1, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Of course, you still need to get rid of the Elhoriad creature and replace it by something else - preferably something from the SRD - maybe a Wight (or do we already have one of those?).




There's a wight protecting Room 12 (the Library). If The Forsaken One really needs a wight for his room, I can rewrite the room with my orginal idea of an enhanced allip (though that version of the encounter was a bit creepier).


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## ikazuchi (Jun 1, 2004)

Whoops, sorry for the double post (stupid work connection).


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## Conaill (Jun 1, 2004)

Ah, forgot about the Wight in #12. But I feel like we're falling back into the "undead of the week" theme we had with CD3. There's no reason we can't have more than one of each type of undead, and we definitely don't have to have *all* core undead types represented.

That being said, I think a Ghost might be a better choice for #17. I feel ghosts are a more "natural" type of undead, in the sense that they don't really need to be created by some necromancer. They just naturally happen after some tragic deaths. They're also a very flexible template in terms of adding class levels, personality, etc. 

Perhaps Nyovne is being confined to her room by magical wards above the door, which only the PCs can remove for her. She will only find rest once she has been reunited with (what's left of) Aris, and has seen Toth being defeated. Seems like that would fit with the theme quite well.


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## tarchon (Jun 2, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Ah, forgot about the Wight in #12. But I feel like we're falling back into the "undead of the week" theme we had with CD3. There's no reason we can't have more than one of each type of undead, and we definitely don't have to have *all* core undead types represented.




It is a tomb though, kind of hard to escape the natural gravitation toward undead.  There are other ways to do this NPC, but they're all pretty weird.  
Mummy animated as an object by her trapped spirit
Sentient flesh golem
Warped into something non-human and immortal by the taint of Chaos (like the gibbering mouther), say a phasm or something extraplanar


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## The Forsaken One (Jun 2, 2004)

I tried that encounter out, they identify the items, then put them on because they are all damned good and they're all screwed 

And for room 17, I'll turn it into a ghost then. Your idea looks good.


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## Conaill (Jun 2, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> It is a tomb though, kind of hard to escape the natural gravitation toward undead.  There are other ways to do this NPC, but they're all pretty weird.



Yeah, I know. Any sort of "sealed" dungeon is going to have the same problem.

Next Cooperative Dungeon, I vote we make an "open" design with all live critters. How about a mine of factory where a bunch of lower-level critters are toiling for their master? With lots of heavy machinery to drown out sounds of combat in room N for the opponents in room N+1. 

We could have ongoing traffic between one room and another, slaves that need to be rescued, a 24-hr schedule with shift changes, helpful and/or devious NPCs, machinery to sabotage, and of course the final combat with the master himself...


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## Trainz (Jun 2, 2004)

About undead:

I think we could substitute them for demons or devils if you don't want to overdo the undead thing. There's plenty of low level evil outsiders in the SRD. They might not need to eat (one might be summoned and held to a certain location via ritual).

About the next adventure:

Not being a sealed dungeon is good input, but I intend to make it a level 10 or more adventure. We've dabbled in low level dungeons enough for now (3, 5, and 7).

Giants are fun, for one.


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## tarchon (Jun 2, 2004)

If you guys post a link to a Word template, I would imagine a lot of the individual room authors could do the Word conversion themselves.


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## ikazuchi (Jun 2, 2004)

*Room Template*



			
				tarchon said:
			
		

> If you guys post a link to a Word template, I would imagine a lot of the individual room authors could do the Word conversion themselves.




Here's a Room Template in MS Word .doc format, and my room (#12) as an example.

I went with putting all text you's actually read to the PCs in italics.

Feel free to use it if you'd like.

I can also convert the template to OpenOffice.org, KOffice, RTF, HTML, XML, text, Abiword, or pretty much anything but Mac specific variations.

Though it's not like it would be hard to convert it yourself. Its just text.


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## Shallown (Jun 2, 2004)

Doing Rooms in word would help a ton. I spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with format issues between the boards and word which is what we use to eidt in before the PDF. Thanks again everyone.


These are a few questions I have and suggestions to help the room fit the proper format. Things in Parenthesis are suggestions based on base/standard for the object in question.
I apologize if I missed it if the information is there and I overlooked it.

Room 8 Phineas Crow
Need stats on door (Hardness 8, HP 45 or 60)
Demon Idol’s aura (Enchantment based on spell cast from it)
The caskets may need to be numbered just doing it clockwise from the door. Not sure if this matters.
What are the value of the rods?
Maybe Eregash’s Moonstone could have some symbol/rune or whatever on the back to indicate its use behind the door panel. Depends on how easy you want to make it.

Room 9 ConnorSB
DC 10 What  on the door. I assume Spot.

Room 7 Wycen
Door stats need to be put in (hardness 5; HP 10) 
Did you think/decide to downpowering Nazgra?

Room 14  Tallfellow

Separate description out of you text. You can see examples in the other rooms. It should be boxed text that the Gm can read to the players on what they first see.
Also leave out classes in descriptions… let the players guess. You can note what class they are in the gm’s notes.
Likewise don’t ID the tracks maybe set a track DC.
What’s the Search DC for the copper pieces.
What is the spike damage if you fall on one.
How hurt is the dire badger. I assume his HP listed are his normal max.
Please add Conaill’s idea below if its okay with you
“Another way to get them into the hidden section... the tunnels dug by the dire badger in #14 come awfully close to rooms #16 and #19. Let's say that on a successful Search check (DC 15 or so?) in the partially collapsed western badger tunnel they find traces of solid, worked stone - the outside of the wall of #16.

Let's call it Hewn stone: 3 ft. thick, break DC 50, hardness 8, 540 hp. Far from easy to get through, but it would at least tell them *something* is there. Maybe they'll decide to go straight through the wall, especially if they have some adamantine tools.”

Room 5 Slife
Door stats Needed (Hardness 5; HP 15)
Value of books to a collector (20gp each )

Room 16 John Q
How much more is the jewelry worth to a collector (double)
Add ghoul to the stat block it wasn’t immediately obvious what type of undead she is.

Room 3  Thullgrim
Stat out prisoners
This may be too much for the party so early on. Maybe delay reinforcements arriving.
I assume reinforcements come from Rm 4
Maybe set conditions on when the Quasit will run away assuming he is cowardly,as I would imagine him to be. Also why is he here? IS he the guide sent by the Gnoll’s God?
Conaill has some points on the npcs in his post. What did you decide to do with them, if anything.


Room 2 Thullgrim
Go ahead and fill in the Npc gear , if a Gm wants to change it then they can. 
The gnolls  would know there are 24 or so gnolls in the place.. Easier to spell out what they know and save gm time of hunting down the info.

Room 13 - Ferret
Door stats needed (Stone hardness 8; HP 45)

What does the doppelganger know about this place and how has it survived this long?
Perhaps it wasn’t always a doppelganger but instead has transformed into one by the chaos taint. Just an idea.

Room 17 Forsaken one
Still need to switch out the Elhoriand for something.

Room 19 Adrienne
Need door stats (Break dc 25; Hardness 8; HP 50 Matches other copper door)

Room 21 Phineas Crow
Can you edit back in where each of the keys are now. Thanks.

Room 12 ikazuchi
Need door stats (Hardness5, HP 20 Break DC 23)




OVERALL

Would someone like to write a short history for the tomb and such?


Are we adding in some books/scrolls to help decipher glyphs

Conaill’s ideas

Regarding the "Rosetta Stone"... let's *not* make it a stone, they'd be expecting that  . There's no reason we couldn't have multiple aids for reading the inscriptions. For example, I would make the +2 bonus in #15 a non-stackable insight bonus (seems to fit better). Then we could also have a translating dictionary between hieratic and hieroglypics in the library, giving a circumstance bonus (for being able to consult the dictionary) that reduces the hieroglyphic DC to the hieratic DC +5. And perhaps a set of notes by one of the gnoll clerics that gives another +2 circumstance bonus to both DC's. Combining all three, hieratic DC would drop to 16, and hieroglyphic to 21 (or 19, depending on how the last two stack).


I didn’t catch all the good ideas people offered about changing and improving the interaction of the dungeon so if contributors could check like pages 10 on where most of it comes up that would help.

Please post and let me know if you have made changes to you


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## ikazuchi (Jun 2, 2004)

*Updates!*

Updated Room 12 with Door stats and added the Novitiate Primer, a minor 'Rosetta Stone' for helping decipher the hieroglyphs in the tomb. More such items could be useful, as per Conaill's post.

I also updated the .doc version of my room above.


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## Conaill (Jun 2, 2004)

ikazuchi said:
			
		

> Updated Room 12 with Door stats and added the Novitiate Primer, a minor 'Rosetta Stone' for helping decipher the hieroglyphs in the tomb.



Cool! 

You may want to make the primer a bit easier to find. After all, if everything else is written in hieroglypics, this one should stand out easily. Maybe a DC 15 on a generic Search check to notice the book, then a Decipher Script check to figure out what it is. (How would a "10% + 1% per book chance" on a random Search work anyway? Would the players need to specify how many books they check randomly?)

The bit about "hundreds of ghostly scorpions climb about its body" is very flavorful, but does it have any in-game effects? It sounds like a cursed Robe of Vermin to me, and it might confuse the players likewise.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 2, 2004)

I've updated Room 8, mostly I rewrote the room desc. and compressed the casket data.

I've upped the heiroglyphics decipher to DC 30, since its vital to the puzzle, I'm counting on there being multiple tools available in other rooms to decipher them.

I'll probably have room 21 done on fri or sat.


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## Conaill (Jun 3, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I've upped the heiroglyphics decipher to DC 30, since its vital to the puzzle, I'm counting on there being multiple tools available in other rooms to decipher them.



On the other hand, since these are hieroglyphics, it may be feasible to simply match up the "pictures" on the cartouches, rods, and keys without translating any of it. 

On a DC 30 Decipher Script check, you should probably also give the translation of the inscription in #8, i.e. "Red Hippo" instead of "Tesher Nehes". Perhaps on a lower roll (DC 25?) they only get the latter translation.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 3, 2004)

I'm debating whether to remove the mummy from rm#21 or not. I'd like to hear from the others, is the room/dungeon/module better with or without the mummy?


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## Trainz (Jun 3, 2004)

Shallown said:
			
		

> Doing Rooms in word would help a ton. I spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with format issues between the boards and word which is what we use to eidt in before the PDF. Thanks again everyone.



I do not recommend that. While your point is valid, it will make the cooperative room post brainstorming impossible.

Shallown, when it is ready to be compiled, I'll put it in Word and then send it to you.


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## Adrienne (Jun 3, 2004)

I just added door stats to mine (room 19).  If anyone has other suggestions (or if I've missed a suggestion already posted), just let me know.


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## fnork de sporg (Jun 3, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> About undead:



But its a tomb! Tombs are supposed to have undead. That's where undead are found. Generally.



			
				Trainz said:
			
		

> About the next adventure:



When are we going to do a multi-level cooperative megadungeon? ENworld's very own version of castle greyhawk or undermountain.


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## Conaill (Jun 3, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I'm debating whether to remove the mummy from rm#21 or not. I'd like to hear from the others, is the room/dungeon/module better with or without the mummy?



My only worry is that I don't think the players will understand what's going on. It'll probably seem like Chaos is just another guardian that they have to get through before they get to the mummy. Without a lot of handholding, I don't think anyone will get that they are *both* Toth Nekamek.

If there's an empty sarcophagus and a demon wearing some mummy wrappings (or even a demon in mummy wrappings inside the sarcophagus), the picture becomes much clearer.


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## tarchon (Jun 3, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> My only worry is that I don't think the players will understand what's going on. It'll probably seem like Chaos is just another guardian that they have to get through before they get to the mummy. Without a lot of handholding, I don't think anyone will get that they are *both* Toth Nekamek.
> 
> If there's an empty sarcophagus and a demon wearing some mummy wrappings (or even a demon in mummy wrappings inside the sarcophagus), the picture becomes much clearer.




It's easily done with a villain soliloquy, but it would probably have to be spelled out in the description for a lot of DMs.  Also, make the demon's facial features resemble Toth's, which should be familiar from various murals by the time they get to the room.  The mummy's sarcophagus should be in the likeness of Toth as well.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 3, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> It's easily done with a villain soliloquy... [snip]




I have thought of this, the trick is to not sound too campy.

A basic "Who dares defile my tomb" spoken by the demon on first contact with the PCs may hint at it.

Another idea I had was to have Chaos in middle of a long ritual designed to resurrect his body when the PCs crash in, resulting in the classic "Fools! Your insolent interruption has cost me my rebirth, you will pay dearly".


I don't think the PCs must have it spelled out that Chaos is in fact Toth, just a hint that they are connected in some way.


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## tarchon (Jun 3, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I don't think the PCs must have it spelled out that Chaos is in fact Toth, just a hint that they are connected in some way.




I think this may be enough if the PCs care to investigate the rooms.

BTW, in #21 "Each of the figures has its hands before it as if it was grasping a non-existence staff" should probably have "non-existent".


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## Shallown (Jun 3, 2004)

Cool Trainz. I'm not sure what the problem was on cd-3 but it was a pain.


Thanks Everyone for working out the little bumps I pointed out. Its the sort of thing I would fix on my own but prefer the original posters put their own fixes in.

I like the one two punch of the demon then mummy. More hints to what is actually going on can easily be added in.

Thanks all

Later


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## Trainz (Jun 3, 2004)

Shallown said:
			
		

> Cool Trainz. I'm not sure what the problem was on cd-3 but it was a pain.



When cut-and-pasting from the boards, it is better to select room descriptions by sections: you don't copy the text box, but only the text inside. THEN you create a new text box in your word document into which you paste the selected text.

An even better trick is to paste the copied selection into a .txt (notepad) file, which destroys any html formatting that was dragged along the copying. You then re-select it from the notepad into your word document.



			
				fnork de sporg said:
			
		

> But its a tomb! Tombs are supposed to have undead. That's where undead are found. Generally.



That's the key word: Supposed. I like to hit PC's with the unexpected.



			
				fnork de sporg said:
			
		

> When are we going to do a multi-level cooperative megadungeon? ENworld's very own version of castle greyhawk or undermountain.



Cool idea, been suggested before, would be too much of an effort to edit without proper remuneration.

Beleive you me, what you guys do in the thread is but one-fourth of the overall effort put in the final product. You guys give a GREAT effort, I do not want to undermine your contributions.


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## Trainz (Jun 3, 2004)

Merak, Creamsteak, Shallown, and Mark, please go to our thread at CMG.


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## Shallown (Jun 3, 2004)

Yeah Boss Man 

As far as a multi level huge dungeon  it would have to be done as seperate levels with a unifying theme. I think it could be done just to do it would lose some portability to homebrews and such. Running/editing/publishing one 15-20 room dungeon is very time consuming believe it or not. So doing more than one at a time isn't viable. I would much prefer the smaller ones than spending the time to do one huge one.

What I would like to see some day is a Town/village versus a dungeon. Maybe a meduim sized town where not every buildingis detailed but all the ones of interest. I could see the contributors creating some cool NPC's and some sort of adventure/story line. 

Later


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## fnork de sporg (Jun 4, 2004)

Shallown said:
			
		

> Yeah Boss Man
> 
> As far as a multi level huge dungeon it would have to be done as seperate levels with a unifying theme.



Well, I guess you could do what Rappan Athuk did and release each level of the dungeon as its own pdf product with notes as to where and how it might connect with the as yet unpublished next level. 

And you could have different themes for different levels, like this level has goblin tribe living in it, then here's a haunted underground dwarf castle, and a forgotten crypt, and a  submerged level, and this level opens in to the underdark, etc.

Eventually it would become really huge and sprawling. And impressive.


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## tarchon (Jun 4, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> I do not recommend that. While your point is valid, it will make the cooperative room post brainstorming impossible.
> 
> Shallown, when it is ready to be compiled, I'll put it in Word and then send it to you.




What I had in mind was the individual authors copying their own rooms into Word when they were all finished.  Doing Word docs during the development on the board would be too cumbersome.


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## enworldatemylogin (Jun 4, 2004)

I have to check out CMG's boards.


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## Shallown (Jun 4, 2004)

No ENworldatemylogin...

Nothing to see there.

Super secret behind the scenes stuff for editors eyes only 

Actually you just found out how boring we are and that I don't want to happen.


Now on to the other stuff. Any more editing from the contribitor's ?

Come on guys save me some work... pleeeaaasse. 

Later


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## Conaill (Jun 4, 2004)

Oops... here's another request from me for an edit:

Ferret: In #20, I refer to a "Book of the Dead" that can be found in the library (#13). Could you please add that one in? Let's say it has a gem-encrusted cover (200 gp), to make sure they'll take it with them. The book has a passphrase to open the door to #20. (I could do without it if necessary, but having some more links between rooms is always nice...)


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 4, 2004)

I'm in the process of rewriting room 21 and I just noticed that Thullgrim has yet to place the scarab key figurine in either room 2 or 3.

I'll give Thullgrim a few days to respond, otherwise I'll request someone else to take the key.


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## Wycen (Jun 4, 2004)

I should have room 7 changed by this weekend.  I'm going to remove the animal companion, add the door stats, and add translation notes in the renamed Vespers of the Duat book to give a +2 bonus to Decypher Script, when working with Heiratic and Heiroglyphs.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 5, 2004)

I'm still rewriting room 21. I decided to get rid of the mummy and change Chaos's goal.

Here is the idea I'm currently working on:

Chaos was unable to raise his former body, due to too much time passing since king Toth Nekamek's death. His goal is now to start a cult centered on the worship of the dead king Toth. With enough worshipers, he believes he can increase his powers and eventually become a demon lord.

It was him who led the gnolls to the tomb and he will soon reveal himself to them, making them his first worshippers.


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## tarchon (Jun 6, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> I'm still rewriting room 21. I decided to get rid of the mummy and change Chaos's goal.




Mm... the other one was good except for being a little too lethal - dunno if we should start making major changes at this late date.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 6, 2004)

I finished rewriting room 21. I may have to go through it again tomorrow with a clear head to see if there is any errors I missed.


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## Conaill (Jun 6, 2004)

Uhm... I'm afraid I have to agree with tarchon here, Phineas. We've been assuming the tomb has been locked up for centuries/millenia, and that the party was the first to enter since it was sealed. Now you've got a grimlock in #21, which needs to eat, needs to have a way in, etc. Unless you come up with a back entrance we'd have to rewrite #20, #15, and possibly some other details as well. Plus you still have the two-body problem for Toth, which was my main issue with your earlier version.

Can't we just say that Chaos/Toth are one and the same, and that he got turned into a demon because something went wrong with the preservation process? Only one body, he's been in there all along, and none of the other inhabitants know what happened to him...


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 6, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Uhm... I'm afraid I have to agree with tarchon here, Phineas. We've been assuming the tomb has been locked up for centuries/millenia, and that the party was the first to enter since it was sealed.




Actually, according to the adventure guidelines:

"- This adventure is split in two: the gnoll controlled sector, and the hidden tomb, populated by aberrations and other critters."

The tomb wasn't sealed enough to keep things out of it.



> Now you've got a grimlock in #21, which needs to eat, needs to have a way in, etc. Unless you come up with a back entrance we'd have to rewrite #20, #15, and possibly some other details as well.




This one is my fault, I was going to put a black jackal master key in the room, but forgot (I'll add it tomorrow). The key was suppose to be in there during the previous version, but I forgot it then too.



> Plus you still have the two-body problem for Toth, which was my main issue with your earlier version.
> 
> Can't we just say that Chaos/Toth are one and the same, and that he got turned into a demon because something went wrong with the preservation process? Only one body, he's been in there all along, and none of the other inhabitants know what happened to him...




Two bodies makes more sense. Toth had a body and a soul. When he died his soul was transfered to the lower planes and his body was entombed. A demon (or any outsider) has no soul, their souls and bodies are one and the same.
Hence while Toth's soul walked the lower planes, and eventually became a demon, his body is still entombed.

I intentally glossed this over in my summary since this isn't exactly covered in the SRD, I kept it vague enough not to cause problems.


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## tarchon (Jun 6, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> Actually, according to the adventure guidelines:
> 
> "- This adventure is split in two: the gnoll controlled sector, and the hidden tomb, populated by aberrations and other critters."
> 
> ...




The Egyptians believed in a tripartite soul, curiously.


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## Conaill (Jun 7, 2004)

It's just not consistent with a lot of other stuff we already have: the dust-covered floor floor in #15 and #20, the unbroken seal on the door to #20, the opening mechanism for the secret doors in #14, #15 and #20 (what is the Open Lock or Disable Device DC for the lock that fits the jackal key and _bypasses_ all those cool traps?), why doesn't he just open all the hidden doors and/or send Syl‘r out to convert the gnolls, and so on. At the very minimum, we'd have to rewrite #15 and #20. 



> Two bodies makes more sense. Toth had a body and a soul. When he died his soul was transfered to the lower planes and his body was entombed. A demon (or any outsider) has no soul, their souls and bodies are one and the same.



When he died, his soul(s) departed, and for some handwavy reason his body turned into a demon. Seems much more straightforward to me. 

Anyway, it's your room, but I do like your earlier version *much* better. At least Chaos by himself could just have teleported in (Great Teleport at will), and we wouldn't have to make so many changes to the rest of the dungeon. Changing the background story this late in the game is a hassle...


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 7, 2004)

Actually I'm currenting writing up the key I had previously mentioned. Here is what I have so far.


*Black Jackal key*: This is the master key to the tomb. It consists of a tiny onyx jackal figurine fastened to a black crystalline rod with four buttons below the jackal figurine. Each of the buttons is etched with symbols, the first has the head of a jackal, the second has a scroll, the third has seven bones in a line, and the fourth has an urn and a sheaf of wheat. 

Three times per day the key can be used to teleport to a specific location if the command words "Toth Nekamek" are spoken and one of the buttons is pressed, other than that the effect is similar to a _teleport_ spell. 

Pressing the jackal head button teleports the user to room 21.
Pressing the scroll button teleports the user to room 12.
Pressing the seven bones button teleports the user to room 8.
Pressing the urn and wheat button teleports the user a mile away from the tomb in a random direction while the key teleports back to its resting place within the sarcophagus in room 21.

If the user tries to teleport to the same room that they are currently in, they are instead teleported to just outside the tomb (area 1).

The key will only function while in the tomb, any attempts to activate the key while outside the tomb automatically fail.


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## Conaill (Jun 7, 2004)

PS: I believe we actually still have an "opening" if someone wants to write another mini-room: if I'm not mistaken, the secret door and tunnel from #14to #15 has not yet been described!

This is the entrance to the hidden portion of the tomb complex, so despite its relatively small size it's probably worth putting in a cool entrance and a few nasty surprises...

Any takers?


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## Conaill (Jun 7, 2004)

Phineas Crow said:
			
		

> The key will only function while in the tomb, any attempts to activate the key while outside the tomb automatically fail.



Could work, but it still doesn't explain how the grimlock got in. Or would you consider area #1 to be part of the tomb?


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 7, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Could work, but it still doesn't explain how the grimlock got in. Or would you consider area #1 to be part of the tomb?




Same way the gnolls got in, through the front door.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 7, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> [snip]...and we wouldn't have to make so many changes to the rest of the dungeon. Changing the background story this late in the game is a hassle...




It would be wrong of me to force others to alter their rooms on account of my changes. I'm doing my best to make my changes seamlessly fit with the rest of the dungeon and I thank you for bringing up any conflicts there might be between my changes and the rest of the dungeon.


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## Conaill (Jun 7, 2004)

Thanks, it's appreciated!  And I bet that goes double for the guys who have to edit this beast down to something publishable in the end.


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## Trainz (Jun 7, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Thanks, it's appreciated!  And I bet that goes double for the guys who have to edit this beast down to something publishable in the end.



You just won that bet !


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## Wycen (Jun 7, 2004)

Alright, Room 7 is updated.  I'd appreciate any input of course.


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## The Forsaken One (Jun 7, 2004)

LIfe's been a bit hectic lately and my Inet connection haphazzard. I'll finish it all up by wednesdaynight.


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## Erekose13 (Jun 8, 2004)

Yeah same here, classes have picked up towards the end of the term and my wife and I are packing in prep for an intercontinental move.  I think my room is finished, though it kind of stands out from the other rooms in the dungeon.  I think I may have taken the warping nature of Chaos a little far, though with the aberrations hanging around I thought it would be fun.  I could tone it down a little in the decription though, leave the trap but take out the ravaged floor and sarcophagi.


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## Shallown (Jun 8, 2004)

Thanks for trying to tidy things up everyone. Its not a huge hurry so get to it when you can. I just wanted to keep the thread active so no one would forget what needed to be done. Number 3 is in the hopper now so this one won't even be started for a little while as far as editing goes. I'll wait at least until next week until I do anymore on-line checks.

Thanks again

later


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## Conaill (Jun 8, 2004)

Anyone else interested in doing something with the secret tunnel between #14 and #15? If not, I have some ideas for the tunnel itself, but I could use a good hidden door (this is *the* hidden door, after all!)


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## Ferret (Jun 8, 2004)

Shallown said:
			
		

> Room 13 - Ferret
> Door stats needed (Stone hardness 8; HP 45)
> 
> What does the doppelganger know about this place and how has it survived this long?
> Perhaps it wasn’t always a doppelganger but instead has transformed into one by the chaos taint. Just an idea.




The doppelganger only knows what the other golls would, I changed it a while back so that the doppelganger came in disguised as a gnoll.


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## Ferret (Jun 8, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Oops... here's another request from me for an edit:
> 
> Ferret: In #20, I refer to a "Book of the Dead" that can be found in the library (#13). Could you please add that one in? Let's say it has a gem-encrusted cover (200 gp), to make sure they'll take it with them. The book has a passphrase to open the door to #20. (I could do without it if necessary, but having some more links between rooms is always nice...)




#13 Redone. how is it now?


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## Conaill (Jun 8, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> #13 Redone. how is it now?



I may be going blind (or senile  ), but I didn't see what you changed. Did you add the Book of the Dead?


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## tarchon (Jun 8, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Anyone else interested in doing something with the secret tunnel between #14 and #15? If not, I have some ideas for the tunnel itself, but I could use a good hidden door (this is *the* hidden door, after all!)




I could do something with it.  I wasn't entirely sure if it would be part of 15 or what.


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## Conaill (Jun 8, 2004)

Briefly, here's my idea for the hidden passage:

1) Permanencied Gust of Wind in the first 60' of the straight part of the tunnel, set off whenever anyone goes past 30' into it.

2) Spikes on the back wall (hidden by some crumbly plaster covered with paintings) for those getting blown away by the wind

3) *sand* on the floor, turning the Gust of Wind into a sandstorm (–4 penalty on Listen, Search, and Spot)

4) a trap about halfway the tunnel (i.e. 10' before the Gust of Wind ends)

Follow that up with either an animated statue with a ram's head and Ring of the Ram (to knock people back into the sandstorm  ), or a Medium air elemental (in the remaining 40' of the straight passage unaffected by the sandstorm).

What do you think, nasty enough?  The sandstorm by itself is only an annoyance for Medium-size PC's. But it does give them a -4 to spot the trap, and it has the potential to split (or at least spread out) the party once they have to deal with the statue or air elemental in the last part of the tunnel.

Entirely coincidentally, it turns out that the Egyptian god Amon is god of the wind, hidden secrets, and often depicted with a ram's head- found that out *after* I came up with the Gust of Wind and the ram's head statue! I wanted to do something with a reasonably low-level Permanency effect, the sandstorm seemed right for the egyptian tomb theme, and pushing people back into it using Ring of the Ram seemed a logical next step. Only then did I get curious who the original egyptian god of the wind was!   Seems rather propitious, no?


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## Conaill (Jun 9, 2004)

Ok, I already half-posted it anyway, I might as well put in the effort to clean it up now. Still looking for suggestions to improve the secret entrance...

*Hidden passage from #14 to #15 - The Howling Winds* (Patrik "Conaill" D'haeseleer)

*Door*: *UP FOR DISCUSSION* The secret entrance to this passage is covered over with plaster and painted with frescoes depicting funeral rites, as is the rest of the corridor leading to #12 and #14 (Search DC 25, treat as 1/2 ft masonry wall: Break DC 25, hardness 8, 45 hp). The painting over the entrance itself is a life-size image of Toth Nekamek's sarcophagus standing upright, showing the jackal face painted on the lid. Anyone passing by the secret entrance carrying an unprotected flame (torch, candle, etc) gets a DC 25 Spot check to notice a slight draft coming from a seam at the top of the wall.



> As you break through the thin wall, you see a dark narrow corridor (5' wide but 15' high) stretch 25' in front of you, followed by a right hand turn.  There is a noticeable draft coming from the corridor, and small drifts of very fine sand are everywhere. The walls are covered with frescoes depicting slaves dragging a sarcophagus on a sled through a corridor.




*Features:* At the corner, the wall opposite the entrance contains a fresco of the same knight as in #14, pointing down the long dark corridor to your right. On the wall facing the long corridor there is a painting of what seems to be a goddess of pain and torture, wearing a vulture's head (Search DC 18 to discover that the crumbly plaster on which this frescoe is painted hides a set of horizontal spikes). Past the corner, the walls are smooth unpainted sandstone, very finely joined. If anyone can see that far, the long dark corridor ends 100 ft further with a right hand turn and another statue, this one sporting a ram's head.

*Encounter: (EL 3)*Anyone entering more than 30 ft past the corner into the long corridor will set off a Permanent Gust of Wind spell (Search DC 30, Disable Device DC 30, both Rogue only), creating a Severe wind blowing west to east, covering the first 60 ft of the long corridor (up to the near corner). The sand in the corridor turns this into the equivalent of a sand storm: visibility is reduced to 1d10x5 feet and provides a -4 penalty on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.

Fort save DC 15 (each round) to negate: A Tiny or smaller creature on the ground is knocked down and rolled 1d4x10 feet, taking 1d4 points of nonlethal damage per 10 feet. If flying, a Tiny or smaller creature is blown back 2d6x10 feet and takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage due to battering and buffeting. Small creatures are knocked prone by the force of the wind, or if flying are blown back 1d6x10 feet. Medium creatures are unable to move forward against the force of the wind, or if flying are blown back 1d6x5 feet. Large or larger creatures may move normally within a gust of wind effect.

Any creature, regardless of size, takes a -4 penalty on ranged attacks in the area of a gust of wind. 

The force of the gust automatically extinguishes candles, torches, and similar unprotected flames. It causes protected flames, such as those of lanterns, to dance wildly and has a 50% chance to extinguish those lights.

Any creature rolled or blown back against the wall facing the corridor will destroy the fresco of the goddess of pain and may take damage from the spikes behind it (Atk +10 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4+2 each).

The howling wind is audible throughout much of the rest of the tomb complex and may cause other inhabitants to come investigate: Listen DC 10 in #9-#14, DC 15 in #2-#5, DC 20 elsewhere.

Stepping on the 5' square halfway down the corridor (10' before the end of the Gust of Wind effect) sets off a Scything Blade Trap (see below). Anyone attempting to Jump across the trap counts as "flying" for purposes of the wind effects above. Climb DC 25 to climb across along the walls. The trap resets automatically after one round. 

*Scything Blade Trap*: mechanical; location trigger; automatic reset; Atk +8 melee (1d8/x3); Search DC 21 (remember to include the -4 Search penalty for the sand storm); Disable Device DC 20. 



> As you struggle through the sandstorm, you suddenly break out of it. The air here is deadly still, although right behind you the magical sandstorm is still raging. 40 ft into the distance you can make out a large stone statue with a ram's head, it's head almost touching the ceiling. With a rumbling noise, the statue slowly steps forward and points its fist towards you




*Encounter: (EL 4)*The Large ram's headed statue animates as soon as someone steps out of the area where the Gust of Wind is in effect. It is armed with a granite Ring of the Ram. Because of the cramped quarters, it only moves at half speed (note that the Speed, AC and Attack penalties for Squeezing in a narrow area are already included in the stats below!).

Ram's head statue: CR 3; Animated Object, Large Construct; HD 4d10+30; 52 hp; Init +0; Spd 15 ft; AC 10 (-1 size, +5 natural, -4 squeezing), touch 5, flat-footed 10; Base Atk -1; Grp +6; Atk Slam +1 melee (1d8+4); Full Atk 2 Slams +1 melee (1d8+4); Space/Reach 10 ft./10 ft. (tall); SA -; SQ Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, hardness 8; AL N; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -4; Str 16, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, Wis 1, Cha 1.

Granite Ring of the Ram: As normal Ring of the Ram, except it seems to be made out of a dark and very hard granite, contains only 10 charges, and can be activated as a standard action by squeezing the hand into a fist (so it can be activated by a mindless construct). Market price is 200 gp times the number of remaining charges.

Tactics: the statue will try to push opponents back into the sand storm using the Ring of the Ram, attacking the nearest person standing between it and the sand storm. If its charges run out, it may attempt to Bull Rush, possibly using a Charge (moving up to 30 ft). If anyone gets within its 10 ft reach, it will attack using its Slam attack instead.

The Gust of Wind trap can be reset by inserting the Ring of the Ram into a small indentation high up in the far corner (Search DC 20). If the party retreats after awakening Yinepu in #20, he may reset the trap and possibly make repairs to the statue. The statue will not attack anyone with a jackal's head or wearing a jackal mask (such as Yinepu (from #20), the high priest, or Toth himself).


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## Conaill (Jun 9, 2004)

Feel free to discuss.

I particularly enjoy the Ring of the Ram -> Bull Rush -> counts as "flying" in Gust of Wind ->  Scything Blade trap combo. At least the Scything Blade trap doesn't go off if you fly *over* the trigger plate. That would just be mean. 

Edit: the hardness 8 of the statue may be a major problem to overcome for the party (hardness on animated object uses the rules on pg 165 in the PHB, as per the D&D FAQ). Maybe we should put in a adamatine-tipped miner's pick somewhere. Would come in handy if the party wants to break through from #14 to #16 as well.


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## tarchon (Jun 9, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Feel free to discuss.




Most of the tomb is designed with the idea that someone who was in the know about the tomb should be able to penetrate it safely, so there should be a way to get through it without activating a guardian or a trap.


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## Conaill (Jun 9, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> Most of the tomb is designed with the idea that someone who was in the know about the tomb should be able to penetrate it safely, so there should be a way to get through it without activating a guardian or a trap.



Hm, I think that's only true for your room, #15, but I don't mind working with that. Sorry for overlooking it.

I do *not* want the average party to be able to just "switch off" the encounter though. Guess we could leave the Gust of Wind and scythe trap as-is. If you know it's there, it's not too hard to avoid (put a mattress in front of the goddess of pain, either Dispel Magic or use a grappling hook to counteract the wind, and disable or climb across the trap).

That just leaves the statue... how about it will not attack anyone wearing a jackal head? I doubt anyone in the party will be wearing one, and even if *one* person does, its not clear they'll figure it out, because the statue will still attack the other party members...

Do you think that would be sufficient?


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## Ferret (Jun 9, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> I may be going blind (or senile  ), but I didn't see what you changed. Did you add the Book of the Dead?






			
				Me said:
			
		

> Features:
> The walls of the room are lined with book selves, each full of books as thick as a fist, and smothered in a thick shroud of dust. The book’s chronicle Toth Nekameks life in astounding and pointless detail; what’s more is that each is written in Hieroglyphics and requires a Decipher script check of 30. *A single book sticks out; whilst not elaborate it looks as though it has been recently read and is clear of any dust. Once you crack open this tome and skim through, you find many unrelated passages and indecipherable scribbles between margins, and on blank pages, one phrase that sticks out, once the players succeed a search check (DC 15) is whoever added the extra messages believed that “things do not bode well for the Pharaoh”.*




I'm not sure if thats enough or you want me to mention the phrase. I'm quite sure I should have made it more obvious it was the book of the dead.

Re-edited it again naming the book.


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## tarchon (Jun 9, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Hm, I think that's only true for your room, #15, but I don't mind working with that. Sorry for overlooking it.




The door to 21 has a lock with a key and the traps have disarming mechanisms too.  If you don't intend for anyone to open a door ever, you don't make keys and you certainly don't leave them lying around hither and yon.  Presumably Yinepu in 20 would admit authorized parties, Toth himself or high priests etc.   When I wrote 15, and I hope it's fairly obvious, the idea was that a high priest or some such would enter on the day of Toth's resurrection.


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## Conaill (Jun 9, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> I'm not sure if thats enough or you want me to mention the phrase. I'm quite sure I should have made it more obvious it was the book of the dead.



Ah, I thought you already had that one in there before. Problem is it doesn't really stick out very much, so I doubt the party would bother to take it with them once they've deciphered the "things do not bode well" phrase. Also, purely OOC we need to identify - at least for the DM, if nobody else - what book exactly I'm referring to in #20. Here's what I would suggest:

1) Definitely call it the "Book of the Dead" to avoid any confusion

2) Give it some value, so they're likely to take it with them. Could be my earlier gold-encrusted idea, or...

3) Now that we have the hidden chambers more or less finished, it would be nice to give some subtle and prophetic hints. Things that could perhaps give them a very slight edge if they make excellent guesses, but mainly stuff that only becomes clear in retrospect. Stuf like ...

"In sarcophagus behind sarcophagus he waits to be reborn" (entrance to the secret passage is behind the image of his sarcophagus on the wall)
"The desert itself will protect him" (sand storm in the secret passage, possibly sand filling up the secret chambers after Yinepu's death)
"The animals will flock to him and welcome him back into the world" (animal keys for the door to #21)
"Yea, verily, the Ram and the Horse await his coming, and the Jackal lays at his feet" (ram statue in passage, horse in #15, Yinepu in #20)
"While the two traitors suffer in eternal torment, his six loyal guards will rise with him" (royal guards in #18)
"And on that day, he will reclaim his throne in the hall of celebrants, and the people will feast his return with songs and laughter" (Hall of Celebrants, #19)


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## Ferret (Jun 9, 2004)

Gotcha.


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## Conaill (Jun 9, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> The door to 21 has a lock with a key and the traps have disarming mechanisms too.  If you don't intend for anyone to open a door ever, you don't make keys and you certainly don't leave them lying around hither and yon.  Presumably Yinepu in 20 would admit authorized parties, Toth himself or high priests etc.   When I wrote 15, and I hope it's fairly obvious, the idea was that a high priest or some such would enter on the day of Toth's resurrection.



Ok. Note that I made the scythe trap reset after one round. So anyone knowing it's there could just tap it with a staff and move across safely. The high priest would still have to struggle his way through the Gust of Wind area, but that's not a big deal (especially if he happened to have a Spell Resistance item that miraculously protected him  )

I think I'll stick with the plastered-over entrance (unless someone comes up with a better idea), because the passage is really only intended to be used once. If there is some emergency, and the high priest needs to enter before Toth's resurrection, he can always replaster it. He'd probably need to reset traps and do some ceremonies to seal the tomb back up again anyway.


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## Shallown (Jun 9, 2004)

I have I said lately how much you guys rock.

Your saving me a lot of work pulling the dingeon together by going back and self editing and colaborating on inter-room synergies.

Thanks again.

later


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 9, 2004)

I need a volunteer to take the missing key figurine.


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## Shallown (Jun 9, 2004)

If no one volunteer's I'll drop the key in somewhere appropriate. All part of the job. If you don't have a description posted putone in your room and I'll insert it in a room.

later


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## Conaill (Jun 9, 2004)

Which figurine is left again? If it happens to be a ram, it's mine!


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 9, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Which figurine is left again? If it happens to be a ram, it's mine!




Its the scarab figurine.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 10, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> [snip] [snip]
> 
> 3) Now that we have the hidden chambers more or less finished, it would be nice to give some subtle and prophetic hints. Things that could perhaps give them a very slight edge if they make excellent guesses, but mainly stuff that only becomes clear in retrospect. Stuf like ...
> 
> ...




I like this idea, also it couldn’t hurt to add a few clues in other rooms about the final room key puzzle. There are two ways to give clues about the puzzle. 

The first is by hinting at the color/animal theme: red hippo, blue scarab, white ibis, green crocodile, yellow cat, purple ram, and orange asp. This can be done with visual clues, here are some examples:

 - A ceramic urn with a line of hippos painted in red along its lip.
 - A scarab mosaic made from small chips of brilliant blue-hued stone set in the floor.
 - A pair of pewter ibis bird earrings that are painted white.
 - A tattered banner with the emblem of a purple ram’s head.

The second way is to use the name of one of the seven generals in some text: Tesher Nehes, Khesbetti Mekharr, Sesh Tekhen, Uarkh Afa, Ksantha Ama, Tekhit Sera, and Uatch Hefau. Examples:

 - “The dragon Xyroon fell, cut down by Uatch Hefau and his trusty archers during the battle of Varune.” 
 - “Ksantha Ama, general of the golden lion battalion, has been cleared of all charges related to the massacre at Amizzar.”
 - “Today the gods have blessed Uarkh Afa with his first son, whom will be given the ritual of naming by King Toth’s own priest next week during the festival of the sun.”

Feel free to make your own and add them to your rooms.


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## Conaill (Jun 10, 2004)

> Its the scarab figurine.



Bummer. I'll leave it for  Shallown to insert in some appropriate room, if nobody else picks it up. Any preference for which room you'd *like* to have it in?

Oh, and how do people feel about the "hardness 8" on the ram's head statue in the secret passage? Do you think we need to add something to bypass it?


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 10, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> ...
> Oh, and how do people feel about the "hardness 8" on the ram's head statue in the secret passage? Do you think we need to add something to bypass it?




Since its a monster, instead of hardness give it damage reduction. Something like damage reduction 10/bludgeoning, swords and pointy things do little damage, but clubs and such crack and pulverize it. A straight damage reduction 5/-- would work also.


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## Conaill (Jun 10, 2004)

Yeah, that would make sense, wouldn't it? Except the MM (and the FAQ) is pretty clear that animated objects do indeed get hardness, _not_ DR. I'd rather not deviate from the core rules if I don't have to, avoids confusion. The construct-activatable ring was already a bit of a stretch.

The extra special abilities such as hardness, Trample, etc should already be included in the listed CR, and I did label the encounter as EL4 despite the fact it's a CR3 monster and is taking -4 to AC and attacks because of being Squeezed. I figured the synergy with the Gust of Wind and the Ring of the Ram more than made up for that.

This does have the potential of being a long drawn-out battle, with the PC's barely doing any damage, and the statue getting a lot of misses...


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## jester47 (Jun 10, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> Room 19 is now available.
> 
> Jester47, I apologise for knocking it out from you. If it's still available when you see this, you can re-reserve it again.




Absolutely no problem.  Too much going on elsewhere.  Glad you passed it on. 

Aaron.


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## Phineas Crow (Jun 10, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> Yeah, that would make sense, wouldn't it? Except the MM (and the FAQ) is pretty clear that animated objects do indeed get hardness, _not_ DR.




I should read slower... I did look at the SRD, but missed that.


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## Shallown (Jun 11, 2004)

Thanks everyone for there work. There are some rooms still needing editing but that is not to big a concern. There always are.

This should be an interesting place full of flavor. Thanks again

later


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## Ferret (Jun 15, 2004)

Has anyone seen my revised room?


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## Shallown (Jun 15, 2004)

Cool Ferret

later


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## Conaill (Jun 15, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> Has anyone seen my revised room?



Yup, looks good. Just a few more nitpicks and then I'll shut up (promised!  ):

- I would make the line "His sarcophagus behind the sarcophagus" read "In sarcophagus behind sarcophagus". Makes it a little more ambiguous, because at first sight it could refer to the fact that mummies were often buried inside a series of progressively larger sarcophagi, one inside the other. "His sarcophagus behind the sarcophagus" might be a bit too much of a direct hint. 

- I'm still not entirely clear who would have left the scribbles in the margin and the "things do not bode well for the Pharaoh" line. The doppelganger doesn't know what happened to the Pharaoh, right? Actually, I don't know anyone who would have that information.


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## Conaill (Jun 16, 2004)

A few more mapping requests for Trainz:

Could you please add a statue on the map, in the corner in front of the door to #15, facing the long corridor. Also, #20 should have a shrine (altar icon would work) in the middle, let's say on the boundary between the square marked "20" and the one below that (hope that's possible using ID). You may also want to add some various furniture along the north and south walls of that room. Or just use the "rubble" icon, since that's what it'll be if there's a decent fight in there... the furniture is very brittle.


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## Trainz (Jun 16, 2004)

Done the adjustments to the map. You will note that it lost a bit of quality, but don't worry, the map included in the final product will have a MUCH better resolution.


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## tarchon (Jun 16, 2004)

Ferret said:
			
		

> Has anyone seen my revised room?



"And there he shall lay"
Lie, unless you mean he's going to get some action.


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## Conaill (Jun 16, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> Done the adjustments to the map. You will note that it lost a bit of quality, but don't worry, the map included in the final product will have a MUCH better resolution.



Any chance the shrine in #20 could be oriented lengthwise? I.e. with the long side lined up with the long side of the room (as in the picture), but still right in front of the door, straddling the border between two squares? Not sure Interactive Dungeon will let you do that unless you use a door icon or somesuch. (Actually, the shrine doesn't take up a full square, and could act as a low wall in combat, so that's kinda appropriate.) Or perhaps we can just create a new 2x1 icon which is simply the small altar shifted over to lie on the border between two squares?

If all of this is too much hassle, let me know and I can always change the room description. But I would really prefer Yinepu (who's sitting on top of the shrine) to be in the middle of the room and facing the adventurers when they come in.


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## Trainz (Jun 17, 2004)

I am sorry, but besides doors, curtains, or windows, it's not possible to place an object on a line.

Look at the window icon, and tell me if you want to use that instead.


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## Conaill (Jun 17, 2004)

How about door icon, since that's just a nondescript little box anyway? Seems about the right size as well: 4ft by 2ft or somesuch. 

Thanks for putting up with the nitpicking!


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## Trainz (Jun 18, 2004)

Conaill said:
			
		

> How about door icon, since that's just a nondescript little box anyway? Seems about the right size as well: 4ft by 2ft or somesuch.
> 
> Thanks for putting up with the nitpicking!



Done.

And you will also note that the resolution is much better, I redid the image and room numbering. I had to, it was starting to degrade too much (my compression factor was to high, I set it at the lowest compression factor now... noob).


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## Conaill (Jun 18, 2004)

Looks nice, thanks!

Any update on how far along CD3 is? We occasionally hear comments like "so-and-so is doing editing", but I would love to hear some more behind-the-scenes details (considering that this is the closest many of us have gotten to publishing anything). What section is so-and-so editing? What kind of trouble did they run into? Any issues that could be resolved with some more community input? etc...

Inquiring minds want to know...


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## Mark (Jun 18, 2004)

I'm thinking, and others will correct me if I am mis-speaking, that the best thing for those on the front end (contributors) to do is to continue to refine the process here that is taking place and to then move on to CD-05 and further refine it.  It's amazing to me just how far it has come in so short a time.

As far as the back end (Yes.  I guess I'm indirectly calling myself an ass... ) is concerned, we're all taking a page from the front end folks and doing things more collaboratively during the editing process.  Stats are getting more input and being banged out with a collective hammer and anvil, and the overall editing is getting a further hypodermic in the form of greater depth to the plot hooks and backstory.  I think CD-03 will show even greater improvements than the ones seen from CD-01 to CD-02.

If I had to put a general target date on CD-03's arrival, I'd guess mid-July...maybe a little bit later.  I think the final phases of CD-04 will take less time due to the phenomenal work being done on the front end.

Hope that answers the question fairly well, and thanks to everyone who have allowed me the privilege of being the company publishing these wonderful products.  I'm loving it!


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## Conaill (Jun 18, 2004)

Thanks for the speedy answer, Mark!

Since you're talking about banging on stats and adding backstory... I was wondering how much you guys wind up changing the original submissions. Or do you essentially only fill in missing pieces (e.g. missing spells prepared for a spellcaster NPC, etc.)? If you do make any changes that might be considered substantive, do you ever try to contact the original author to figure out what his intent was? And do the authors get a chance to proofread the final product before it's being released?

Not criticising the wonderful work you guys are doing, just curious. CD-03 was the first one I participated in, so I have yet to see the full process start-to-finish...


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## Shallown (Jun 18, 2004)

To go in a tiny bit more detail than Mark.

IT starts with Trainz creating a map and setting a theme/BBEG. This he takes suggestions for and such and uses his own inspiration.

He post it and everyone does their thing as you can see in the post.

Then we take it and drop it into a Word Doc and I begin the editing process covering things like compatibility between rooms. If room A mentions room C make sure what is said matches. I check formatting overall focusing on traps, doors and such. I also write the Plot hooks and synopsis.

I also make sure the basic grammar is correct to the best of my skill. Mainly making sure it makes sense to my thick head.

Meanwhile Trainz handles getting the art and making sure the map is ready.

I send it to Trainz who sends it to Merak And Creamsteak. Steak handles the NPC blocks and Merak handles the text editing in much finer detail.

It comes back to me then Trainz for final approval. When it passes through Trainz hands he also reads it over to double check behind the rest of us.

Then Trainz sends map, art and text to Mark who checks it yet again and insures everything is appropriate and legal. He does the final lay out and actually puts it up on the web.

The amazing thing to me is that we get such quality from contributions to end product for free. 

But that's the short answer. There is a lot of E-mails and board talk between us on day to day decisions. Especially how heavy handed to be in editing. We , as a group, hate to alter a contribution but sometimes it has to be done to increase the cohesion of the whole. We try our best to minimize our impact on an individual entries.

The contributors have increased their input greatly and started to self edit which is allowing us to expand our contributions as the production team in adding more to the Dungeon. For example we are banding about expanding the Plot hooks to be more richly detailed. thanks to the contributors we have the time to devote to such endeavors.

Thanks again everyone.

Later


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## Mark (Jun 18, 2004)

I see that Shallown has already made many good points, and with a more detailed accounting than I have, but I'll just add...

We trust the back end team to maintain the spirit of the front end team's work, if any changes need to be made.  Sending it back for another go-aroudn with all of the writers would be too time consuming and likely to get hung up as so many schedules would have to be accomodated to do it fully.  Unless we wanted to put out no more than one a year (maybe two), we'd be hard pressed to do otherwise.

It's actually a lot more liberal in favor of the writers than a simple freelancer's work-for-hire in that the front end has plenty of time to work out the kinks, and the back end team is doing mostly clean up.  Oddly enough, it's the clean up that really takes the most time.  Or, perhaps, not so oddly when you consider how many DMs are chock full of ideas and how many ever get published.  It's mostly the "busy work" that is done on the back end and the "creative work" (the fun stuff) that mostly gets done on the front end.

I think we might look toward bringing in a few more folks to the back end as time goes by so that we can speed up the process, but that's for Trainz to determine and will largely be decided on a case-by-case basis.  You (Conaill) sound interested in getting behind the scenes but I have to warn you; It's a LOT more work, the work is a LOT more mundane, and the glory really goes to those who get the contributors credits, in the end.  (Be careful what you wish for, because we might just ruin the whole experience for you by taking you up on it!) 

(One caveat to the above by Shallown is that once I am done with the layout and legal work I send a copy back to Trainz for yet another final approval.)


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## Conaill (Jun 18, 2004)

> You (Conaill) sound interested in getting behind the scenes but I have to warn you; It's a LOT more work, the work is a LOT more mundane, and the glory really goes to those who get the contributors credits, in the end. (Be careful what you wish for, because we might just ruin the whole experience for you by taking you up on it!)



Oh, trust me... I'm a LOT more interested in knowing what goes on behind the scenes than in doing the actual hard work!  I'm already spending way too much time on EN World. Committing another big chunk of time would be the last thing I need...

For now, I'm happy to just tinker with stuff as and when I get time, and cheer you guys on from the sidelines...


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## Trainz (Jun 19, 2004)

The funny thing is, originally I never intended Cooperative Dungeons to be what it has become.

One day I was at my computer trying to create an adventure for my group's next game session. All I knew is that it had to be level 14 and I wanted to have demons in it. I hit a writer's block, and if I had proceeded at the time, I would have just created an "open the door-kill the critter" dungeon. Sometimes I admit I do that, but I hate it, and although my players still have fun killing critts, I strive for a better gaming experience.

And then it hit me.

I have access to this great ressource that is ENworld, so, hell, why not give it a shot. I post the darn thing with the map, and I think "even if only a few rooms get filled by the ENpeeps, at least I'm going to have a few rooms that will help me making the rest".

Next thing you know, the adventure is done, and I only did 3 rooms (out of about 30 ! ! !). Then these amazing guys want to help me collate and edit the thing. Speechless. And then Mark comes along and offers to distribute it under the Creative Mountain Game banner. Flat on my arse.

And then, ENworlders start asking "That was fun ! When's the next one ?"

THE NEXT ONE ? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





So there you have it. It's a lot of work (a LOT more than I initially intended to put in), but what a great ride it is ! 

I said it before, but I'll say it again, it is a great honor for me to have so many people hop on my Crazy Trainz !


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## Elephant (Jun 20, 2004)

Rooms 4 and 6 have been converted to the word template.

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1560297#post1560297

http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1562421#post1562421


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## tarchon (Jun 21, 2004)

Elephant said:
			
		

> Rooms 4 and 6 have been converted to the word template.
> 
> http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1560297#post1560297
> 
> ...


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## Wycen (Jun 21, 2004)

I added a bit of descriptive flavor to room 7.  I was thinking about this dungeon as I was watching something on the Discovery Channel about ancient Egypt and it dawned on me that I was missing the typical interior found in tombs and such, so I borrowed what I had just seen.


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## Elephant (Jun 22, 2004)

tarchon said:
			
		

> Elephant said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Emirikol (Jun 23, 2004)

This is pretty cool stuff guys.  Keep it comin'

jh


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## Trainz (Sep 15, 2004)

Forsaken One, 

 In your room's description, the critter is a special "black" skeleton.

 Did you come up with that ? We have to make sure all in the adventure is OGL compliant.

 Send me an email to: trainz [at] videotron [dot] ca


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## Wycen (Sep 15, 2004)

Trainz said:
			
		

> Forsaken One,
> 
> In your room's description, the critter is a special "black" skeleton.
> 
> ...





Obviously Forsaken One has the definitive answer you want, but from looking at it I can say it is not a Black Skeleton from Necromancer Games.  Neither is it a human rogue with the skeleton template.  I suspect it is a homemade monster based on Forsaken One's post here: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1568647&postcount=202

From my inspection I also noted a few things.  Ordinarily any core class levels are counted level for level as part of a creatures Challenge Rating.  As a 5th level rogue that means a CR of 5, minimum, which is different from the listed CR of 4.  However, the sheer weight of cursed items the creature is wearing is probably accurately reflecting the lower CR.

Speaking of sheer weight, or is that cursed items, a few bits of the stat block seem incorrect.  The flat-footed AC is listed as 18 but ordinarily be 19 (+5 natural and +4 armor).  However, one of the cursed items lowers AC by 5.  Thus, the AC should be 14, touch 5, and flat-footed 14.

Also the attack bonus with the spiked chain should be +7 (BAB +5, Weapon Focus +1, Masterwork +1).  Claw damage should be 1d4 -3.


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## The Forsaken One (Sep 15, 2004)

Hmmm seems I screwed up a bit there. I'll go take a look 

[EDIT: Yes, seems I changed a few - to + at the time so thanks for pointing that out, statblock errors suck guts in hell so... good for you noticing them. Bit sloppy on my part sorry for that. As for the rest I emailed Trainz and edited the block and some descriptive text that was ultra poorly written so it should be ok now [/edit]

Great project  NexT! Maybe we can do an adventure instead of a dungeon..? Will take some more editing but should prove more of a challenge as well


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## Shallown (Sep 15, 2004)

Don't worry I caught that small boo-boo. I'll add your corrections and such.

Stat blocks are one of the last things I will work on so no worries. I have several new monsters that are varient's of SRD things so that part will be double checked in any case. 

Thanks for the quick replies. Makes working on the CD a lot easier. I hate to step on toes when editing. I prefer the contributor change things to suit their taste. 

Later


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## Trainz (Sep 15, 2004)

Thanks Forsaken for the quick reply.

 All right, back to work !


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## doghead (Sep 15, 2004)

I tend to play in the shallow end of the pool, so a 3rd level dungeon is perfect. 

I'm going to sit down with this thread when I get back. Thanks everyone. 

I'll keep an eye out incase you decide to start another. Particularly if its an adventure.


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## Ferret (Sep 15, 2004)

I like the idea of an out door adventure-ish.... I've had an Idea running my head for a while though so it might not make good sense with this out doors theme....

A druid grove, lots of stone circles, forest type things etc, and a small stream that have erroded it's way into a dungeon that has been sealed away/closed off/caved in. I don't know whats in there, or where ther front door is, but I was thinking something could be killing/adversly effecting all the creatures around the hole.


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## Wycen (Sep 15, 2004)

I don't know if the mapping program used for the cooperative dungeons does outside stuff, but I have a suggestion if it doesn't.  Use it to create a step-type pyramid and the outlining ruins.  It would be more of an outside dungeon crawl, but with the trees you can add secret groves or whatever.

Of course I also like the idea of a multi-level linked dungeon that someone mentioned earlier in this thread.


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## Trainz (Nov 10, 2004)

I am currently playtesting CD4 in my campaign, and it looks like it is going to be one awesome adventure. The scope of the dungeon within a dungeon looks amazing. The players are having much fun with it.

The rooms are very inspired and fun to play. I am having such a blast. The details in the room descriptions really adds much texture to the environment, and smoothly sets the tone of the adventure.

One thing that we will fix in this adventure and that you guys will have to check for the next CD: when there is a possibility that combat in a room attracts reaction in other rooms, that will have to be stipulated in the room itself, not in the rooms wre the denizens might be alerted. The fight in room 2 was supposed to possibly attract the attention of critters from other rooms, but because it wasn't stipulated in room 2 per se, I missed that.

CD4 should be ready for the holidays.

CD5 will take a totally different approach. For one, I won't make use of Interactive Dungeon for the map, and instead of describing room 1 like I did so far, I will describe the final room. This way, I hope it will help setting the tone of the adventure.

Anyways, just wanted to tell you guys that you did a kick-arse job on this one, and it easilly surpases many published adventures I have seen. I am simply amazed.


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## Conaill (Jan 19, 2005)

Any progress update on CD III and IV (or even V)? I've been out of circulation for a while because of a cross-country move to California, and I'm darn curious what has been happening meanwhile...


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## tarchon (Jan 19, 2005)

CD3 is in the editing stages. The statblocks are about done at least, since I'm down to checking whether NPCs have the right number of ranks in Profession (Farming). I narrowly averted some imbalanced Gather Information last night!


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## Trainz (May 8, 2005)

We are hard at work on CD4 and it should be released soon (a few weeks to two months maybe).


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## tarchon (May 9, 2005)

Indeed, it's moving along like a sprite with a tight update loop.


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## Trainz (May 10, 2005)

tarchon said:
			
		

> Indeed, it's moving along like a sprite with a tight update loop.




A... what ?

...

Let me take this occasion to thank Tarchon for the awesome work he's doing. He is knocking down a lot of work, and does it in a very efficient and professional way.

Thanks mate.


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## Trainz (Jun 5, 2005)

Greetings fellow ENworlders.

We are in the final stages of editing CD4. In a month or two, the whole thing should be available for download. Thanks to all contributors who believe in this project and are patiently waiting for the thing to finally come out.

Very special thanks go out to MonkeyDragon, Enkhidu, and Tarchon who are quite simply amazing and thorough in their editing work. It is not really possible from an outsider's point of view to understand just how much work they have to do to deliver such a fine product.

I also want to underline Mark Clover's work. He's not the type of guy to be looking for praise, but there are so many things he does for CD's. From the first CD till now, he gave me an opportunity to take a random experiment of mine and turn it into a full fledged published product. That takes faith and devotion, and he gave me both.

Stay put, as soon as CD4 is released, I should submit CD5 for you contribs, and let me tell you, this one will be one hell of a roller coaster ride.


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## Conaill (Jun 5, 2005)

WOOHOO!

Really looking forward to seeing the finished version. Do let us know if there are any ambiguities we can clear up for you...


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## Conaill (Jul 20, 2005)

<_bing_> 

Any progress?


Are we there yet? are we there yet? are we there yet? are we...


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## Mark (Jul 20, 2005)

It's in the layout phase (my phase) but a couple of other things have required my attention.  Shouldn't be too much longer but I won't give an exact date just yet.  Sorry to keep you on the edge.  Buy my other products in the meantime to help support my little forays into freebies.


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