Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Halls of the Hidden Prince LVL Area 8 & 9



7. The Audience Chamber
Illumination: Shimmering ball of ghostly blue energy at the room’s center.
Smell: Dust and ozone

The broken remnants of furniture and art objects cover the floor of this large chamber. A rusted throne of wrought iron sits on a dais of crumbling limestone in the center of the room’s north wall. 1d4 rounds after the room is entered. The shimmering blue ball will explode (no damage). Ghostly energy will disperse about the room and two spectral armies will form, a force of Lizardmen and another of quite ones and stone dead. These armies will engage in a savage battle, complete with screams and the clang of weapons that last for 3 rounds, after which the armies will be sucked back in to the newly formed ball. This process repeats itself every 4 rounds.

A secret compartment in the rear of the throne (found on a roll of 1 on a 1d4) contains an energy pistol with three charges. [Using conventional rules the pistol does 3d6 damage]. Metal earth house rules it does 1d6 if the target makes a saving throw or a roll on the wound table if they do not.

8. The Faux Bedroom
Illumination: very dim yellow light from a ceiling mounted crystal
Smell: Dust with a hint of oil

The noise of snoring can be heard immediately upon entering this room- or before that if someone listens at the door.
This chamber is an obviously an ornate bedroom. It is full of fine furnishings, including a large writing desk; a beautiful wardrobe with gold inlay and (beneath the dust) a painting of the Cloelle the minotaur corn goddess (think of a really hot chick, but with a cow’s head); and a four poster canopy bed.  The room is, of course, as cobweb and dust covered as all the rest, however it appears that someone is sleeping on the bed. If the sleeper is disturbed (or 3 rounds after the room is entered if ‘he’ is not)  the door will slam closed and lock of its own accord. At this point the sleeper will rise and attack the party.

The room is actually a trap for would be assassins and the sleeper is, in reality, a techo-magical construct set there to lure in and destroy said assassins.

Magical Minotaur Robot
AC 4 [15]
Hit Dice 4+4
Attacks: Blade 1d6/Gore 1d8+1
Move: 8
XP: 400
Special +2 to hit with Blade

The construct is a mass of gears and widgets held together by glowing ruin inscribed brass and stone plates. It has the shape of a minotaur.
The construct will fight until it is destroyed and is immune to all magic.

A sword is welded into the robot’s left hand at the beginning of combat. This is a +2 magical weapon and if the MMR is defeated the sword can be removed in 1d6 turns.

The MMR’s horns are made from strange luminous blue crystal. If removed they will fetch ~ 250 gp each.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Hiddeln Halls, level two area 4, 5 & 6

Map is on the the left.



4. Spy Hall I
Illumination: Dull green radiance, emanating from an ancient glow strip mounted in the ceiling.
Smell: Dust.

The stonework here is rough and functional. No allowance is given to artifice and the entire length of the passage is bare- with one exception. A 15’ long stone bench is situated along the last twenty feet of the south wall of the corridor’s southernmost east-west extension. Opposite the bench  [on the wall contingent with Area 3] a brass disk, just a bit larger than a human hand, is inset into the stone. If anyone touches the disk, the corridor’s glowstrip dims and the wall becomes transparent, providing a complete view of Area 3’s main chamber. The wall remains opaque on the Area 3 side.

The only way out of this area is through the secret door leading to area 5, or through the portcullis leading back to Area 3.

5. Spy Hall II
Illumination: None 
Smell: Dust

A second brass disk, identical to that located in Area 4, is set in the wall contingent with the short corridor connecting Areas 3 and 4. If anyone touches the disk an arrow/gun slit opens in the wall, providing a perfect vantage point over the passageway between the two portcullises.

The door leading to area 6 is unlocked.
The secret door adjacent to the door leading to Area 6 is extremely obvious and can be found on a roll of 1 through 5 on a d6. The door’s ‘hidden’ seams don’t quite line up with the wall in which it is set and it juts out a bit. It can be ‘opened’ by moving a small light hued stone. Doing this does not actually open the door, it triggers a rock fall- 4d6 damage. The trap is slow and leads off with an ominous rumble. Who ever opens the door is allowed to roll two separate saving throws. If both saves are successful the character takes no damage; if one save is successful the character takes ½ damage. The rock fall will block the opening it will take 1d6 turns to clear the way.

6. Ornate Hallway
Illumination: Flashing glowstrip, alternating from very bright to absolutely pitch black two or three times a second. Unless the characters make use of a good light source, all combat rolls will be made at a -2. 
Smell: rotten carpet (dry) and dust

Note- The secret door leading to Area 5 is trapped- see above.

This corridor is more elegant than Areas 4 and 5 the threadbare remains of a moldered carpet trail across the polished marble floor. Like everywhere else a thick layer of dust covers everything.

A huge sculpted human face covers the location of the secret door. If anyone touches the face, it animates and attacks the party.

Stone Face
AC 5 [14]
Hit Dice 3+3
Attacks: Expectorate (1d12), Bite (1d8)
Move: 8 (See Below)
XP: 200

The stone face can levitate. At the commencement of hostilities it lifts away from the wall and bites the closest enemy. The Face cannot leave the corridor.

The stone face will expectorate a huge wad of stinking acidic phlegm in the second round and once every two rounds thereafter until the end of combat. The first time a character is hit with the loogie, a saving throw must be made, failure results in the loss of one combat round; this round is spent vomiting.

If the Stone Face’s hit points are brought to 0, it immediately returns to its place on the wall, releases a horrific wail and crumbles away to dust, revealing a small alcove lined with shelves. Most of the room is empty, but an ornate vase and a strange looking pair of goggles sit side by side on a shelf near the door.

The Vase: Covered with a finally detailed depiction of what might be a wrestling match between two over muscled male minotaurs, this item is worth 400 gp.

The Goggles are made of brass and encrusted with strange, glowing gemstones.  The wearer of this eyewear can see any secret door (on level 2 only) within 50’- regardless of lighting condtions.