3.5 The Urban Solitude of the Hunger Character: Moon Palace
3.5.1 Marco Fogg’s Solitude: Reinventing Worlds
Introduction: This level features another swift running underground river. North of the river is mostly haunted by ghouls and other undead. One tomb room (3.7)contains stone coffins with the remains of a few members of the Garagur clan and their associates; great magical treasures are guarded by powerful undead. Another ancient tomb (3.13) contains the remains of a powerful and evil necromancer who has become a spell casting specter. If the players manage to disarm the traps they still have to defeat the specter... and, sadly, there isn’t any treasure here to make it worth their while!
South of the river is an ancient temple of evil (3.20) guarded by zombies with the living quarters of the priests nearby (3.24).
A secret passage hidden behind a small waterfall that feeds a tributary to the underground river (south of 3.25) leads on to level 3C and a dwarven treasury.
Special Effects:
Entrances and Exits: The river flows in from 3B to the east and out to level 3D to the west. A tributary flows in from 3C. Beneath a waterfall at 3.25 is a secret tunnel to level 3C and another secret passage to 3c is further to the west. There are 2 tunnels to 3D; the northern one is blocked by rubble. There are steps down to level 4, a ramp up to level 2, a set of stairs up to level 2 and a shaft down to 4. A passage to the north joins 3A and a secret spiral staircase leads up to level 2. A secret passage to the east leads to level 3B. A rat tunnel leads from area 3.18 to level 3H.
Updating the Level:
The Original DM’s Notes: Level 3: This is one of the levels where the original maps are pretty screwed up.
If you look carefully, you will notice that the river that runs west to east and plunges down to level 5 follows the exact same course as the river on level 2. When I was looking over the maps in preparation to publish Khunmar, this part really puzzled me. I finally realized that I included the same river on BOTH levels 2 and 3. Obviously, the same river can’t be in two places at once, so I revised it; in the new version, there is a different river on level 3.
Wandering Monsters: Roll 1d20 every 3 turns:
1) kobold patrol (armed with holy water, crossbows, and torches) 2) wight
3‐4) ghouls (1‐6) 5) giant rats (2‐12)
6) saurians (2‐8), near river only 7‐20) no encounter
1) Entrance: On every map, locations labeled 1 will be the entrances to that map. They are normally labeled a, b, c., etc.
1a) Narrow secret passage to 3c.
1b) Secret passage accessed via secret door under waterfall at location x leads to level 3c.
1c) River flows in from 3b.
1d) The secret passage goes down some stairs to a small tunnel flooded 4’ deep that leads to Level 3B.
1e) ramp behind door leads up to level 2.
1f) Shaft down to level 4. A dozen stirges (AC 8, MV 3”/18”, HD 1+1, 1 atk 1‐3 + drain blood, strike as 4 HD monsters and drain 1‐4 hp per round until 12 points are drained) will come up the shaft and attack if light is shined down it, an object is dropped, etc.
1g) passage north to level 3a.
1h) Passage (blocked by rubble) to level 3d 1i) Shaft up to level 2
1j) Spiral stairs up to level 2.
1k) River flows into level 3d 1l) Stairs up to 2.
1m) passage off to 3d.
1n) Hole in ceiling leads to shaft up to level 2
1o) Giant rat tunnel off to level 3c. The hole is only 2‐3’ in diameter so most creatures will have to crawl.
1p) Stairs down to 4.
2) Empty: Areas labeled 2 on the map will always be an empty rooms. The DM can spice them up however he or she likes, adding wandering monsters, a roll from the “Random Happenings and Items”
table, etc.. In addition, the DM can use these spots to place his/her own encounters or locations.
3) Door to Hellavator
4) Hellavator
5) Guard Room: The door to room 2 is locked and barred from this side, and twelve very nervous kobolds (AC 6, MV 9”, HD ½, hp 3 each, 1 atk 1‐4) are on guard here, keeping the ghouls from
overrunning the level above. The kobolds have spears, flaming oil, burning torches, and crossbows with silver bolts (24 bolts total). On a ledge sit twelve holy water flasks. On the east wall is a secret door (discover 1 in 6) that leads to the Hellavator.
6) Four ghouls (AC 6, MV 9”, HD 2, hp 10, 9, 8, 7, 3 atk 1‐3/1‐3/1‐6 + paralysis) lurk here, hoping to get through the door to room 1. They surprise 1‐4 on a d6. Three rounds after the fight begins, two more ghouls arrive.
7) Bone Room: A pile of bones with 92 s.p. and 47 g.p. mixed in. Two ghouls cling to the ceiling and a third hides in the bone pile. All three will leap to attack by surprise (1‐4 on a d6). Mixed into the pile of bones is a ruined spell book. Only the spells detect magic, magic missile and third hand are still legible (see ‘Spells’ section of appendix for details on ‘Third Hand’).
8) A statue of a roaring dragon dominates the room. The charred‐looking bones of two kobolds are in the middle of the room. Unless the dragon’s claw is pressed, it will breathe fire (5d6 damage, half damage if saving throw is made) in a 10’ wide swath across the center of the room 1 round after the door is closed. The trap resets itself every time the door is opened/shut.
9) Tomb Room: Eight stone tombs stand vertically against the wall:
A) In Dwarven “Garguz the Destroyer” – skeleton dressed in rusted‐out chain mail, grasps a +2 longsword, +4 against dragons which allows user to detect invisible three times per day. Garguz has become a specter.
B) Unlabeled and empty. Back is illusionary.
C) Unlabeled, contains only old human bones.
D) “Rasputin the Vengeful” is written on the tomb lid in Common. “Do not disturb my bones!” is scratched into the stone underneath the name. Inside is a skeleton in a tattered robe wearing a necklace of gold set with rubies worth 6,000 g.p. and grasping a wand of fire ball (34 charges) in his bony hand. A magic belt made of nickel silver set with moonstones is around the skeleton’s waist (see ‘Metals’ in the appendix for details on nickel silver; the belt is worth 1,000 GPS if sold as jewelry, but this belt serves as a +2 ring of protection if worn). A ghost will materialize and attack as soon as the seal on the tomb is broken or the remains are disturbed.
E) “Urgan the Unlucky” in Dwarven. A dwarf skeleton wears cursed ‐2 plate mail and has a cursed ‐2 axe (both dwarf‐sized).
F) “Merisson Uldirhafan” – Tomb is empty.
G) Rune of Warning: Inscription in Dwarven says, “DO NOT OPEN THIS SARCOPHAGUS!” It contains a poison gas (10’ x 10’ cloud, ‐3 save) and a mummy (AC 3, MV 6”, HD 6+3, 1 atk 1‐12 + fear: See MONSTER MANUAL, p. 72).
H) “Lenfil Lightfingers” – Skeleton of a human with a harp and a +1 dagger.
10) Four broken coffins and a few scattered and gnawed‐looking bones are here. The stairs lead down to Level 4. Empty except for a torn sack with exactly 2,000 CPS spilling out on the floor.
Two ghouls (AC 6, HD 2, 3 atk 1‐3/1‐3/1‐6 + paralysis) and a ghast lurk here and will spring out and attack unless surprised.
Ghast: HD 4; AC 4 [15]; Atk 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d6); Move 15; Save 13; AL C; CL/XP 5/240; Special:
Stench (save or ‐2 attack rolls), paralyzing touch.
11) Dozens of rotted and split coffins are piled in the east and west portions of the room. Eight ghouls (AC 6, MV 9”, HD 2, hp 12, 9, 8, 8, 6, 6, 4, 3, atk 1‐3/1‐3/1‐6 + paralysis) huddle in the center of the room, gnawing bones. Every turn of searching will turn up 0‐5 s.p. and 0‐5 g.p. and has a 1 in 6 chance of finding a minor piece of jewelry worth 10‐100 g.p. After 62 s.p. and 55 g.p. in total are found, along with 8 pieces of jewelry, nothing else will be found.
12) Long Cave: Nine ghouls (AC 6, MV 9”, HD 2, 3 atk 1‐3/1‐3/1‐6 + paralysis) are bowling with human skulls at a pile of human bones. They will gleefully attack any living creature they see. The door to the east is made of stone and does not look to have been disturbed for a long time. It is protected by a glyph of warding trap (fire, at 10th level caster ability) and is locked. An inscription on the door reads in
Dwarven “Hurregon the Mighty slumbers within.”
13) Dust is ankle‐deep in the chamber, but two torches flare to light as soon as the door opens. A large stone sarcophagus stands against the east wall. The inscription on the coffin reads “Hurregon the Mighty”. The coffin is also carved with swirling design. Anyone looking at the coffin must make a saving throw or suffer the effects of a confusion spell. The coffin is covered in tiny, invisible needles that will pierce the skin of anyone touching the coffin and inject poison (save at ‐2 or die). If anyone manages to open the coffin, it contains a specter (AC 2, MV 15”/30”, HD 7+3, 1 atk 1‐8 + energy drain [2 levels] and spell‐casting as an 8th‐level magic‐user) with spell‐casting abilities named Hurregon the Mighty. He is an ancient human wizard of very evil spirit who will gladly be released from the coffin. Hurregon’s spells:
1st‐level spells: charm person, magic missile, shield, ice dart (see ‘Spells’ in the appendix) 2nd‐level spells: mirror image, ESP, scare
3rd‐level spells: dispel magic, fireball, Percy’s Flaming Purgative (see ‘Spells’ in the appendix), phantasmal force
4th‐level spells: polymorph other, confusion
14) Broken rope bridge.
15) Boat landing with secret tunnel: There are two wooden 4 man row boats pulled up on the shore here and a secret door to level 3B (1d). Players normally have a 1 in 6 chance of finding the secret door, but some soggy saurian footprints lead to the secret door from the river where one of the saurian recently entered the tunnel; if the player look at the floor they might notice this clue. The secret passage goes down some stairs to a small tunnel flooded 4’ deep that leads to Level 3B (1d).
One of the boats will start to sink 1 turn after being in the water.
16) See room 14. The stairs lead up to Level 2.
17) Secret Cave: A pile of bones, arms, and armor in the middle of the cave is covered in yellow mold.
18) Cave Worms: Twelve cave worms (AC 5/15, MV 12”, HD 5+5, 1 atk 1‐12 [bite] + 1 attack for 1 point damage + poison [stinger], camouflage lets it surprise 1‐3 on a d6, swallow small creatures on a 19‐20 [does 1‐8 points of damage per round, attacks at ‐4 from inside]) are here. The floor of the cave is covered in fungus and mushrooms. A dwarven skeleton half‐overgrown with mold still clutches a +2 battle‐axe and wears rusted armor. Beside his remains, in a moldy sack, are 150 SPS, a small statue of a dragon made of nickel silver with yellow citrines inset in the eyes worth 30 GPS (see ‘Metals’ in appendix for details on nickel silver) and a silver beer stein carved with hops worth 50 GPS. The passage from 18 to 19 and the passage west to level 3D are both closed by a portcullis. At location "X," hidden behind fungus and not obvious unless looked for, is a rat‐tunnel (between 1.5 and 2 feet in diameter) that leads down to 3H.
19) Eight zombies (AC 8/12, HD 2, hp 8 each, 1 atk 1‐8, always attack last, one‐sixth damage from piercing weapons, one‐half damage from blunt weapons, full damage from slashing weapons) guard the doors.
20) Temple of the Void: The place is lit by a weird green radiance. Eight pillars that look like natural formations are hung with tiny luminescent green splotches of moss. At the front is a large stone ring against the wall; beside it hangs a large tarnished copper gong with a hammer made of bone leaning against the wall beside it. Inside the stone circle is a pool of blackness with a few bright lights in it. The altar is of purplish stone. Eight zombies are in the temple, but any turn attempt will be at ‐4 due to the evil influence of the temple. If anyone touches the altar, gong, hammer or the stone ring, the gong will sound and all lawful or good creatures must make a saving throw vs. magic at ‐3 or fall unconscious for 1‐3 rounds. If the gong is rung, and all lawful or good creatures must make a saving throw vs. magic at ‐3 or fall unconscious for 1‐3 rounds. The priests from room 21 will arrive in 3 rounds. 2‐5 rounds after the characters enter the temple, 2‐5 tentacles 10’‐30’ long will enter the temple and attempt to pull
someone in. The tentacles will pull victims 10’ per round. Each tentacle has AC 6, and it takes 12 hp to sever. Anyone pulled through the gate is killed and his body utterly destroyed unless they are wearing the holy symbol of the temple (in which case they will be transported instantly to the front gate of the wall surrounding the Fane of the Void on level 9). Priests of the void might leap through the gate to
escape; acolytes and guards and other lesser temple servants will always fight to the death. Severed tentacles will withdraw back into the void to be replaced in 1 round by a new one. Any part of the tentacle left in the room after being severed will melt into black slime in 1 round.
21) Priest’s Room: A 6th‐level evil priest, two acolytes, and two guards are here. The priest and his acolytes sit at a table. The guards sit on a bench near the door. Each of the guards (AC 4, lvl 2, hp 12 each, 1 atk 2‐9, [swords]) has 3‐18 g.p. and crossbows by the bench. Each of the acolytes (AC 5, lvl 1, hp 4 each, 1 atk 1‐6) wears black robes and chain mail and has a disk of black jet set in a silver setting on a chain around his neck (their holy symbols; as jewelry they are worth 30 GPS each, but each radiates slight magic). One has the command spell, the other has curse. The priest (AC 3 [+1 chain mail, dexterity], hp 21, 1 atk 2‐7 [+1 mace]) wears black robes and +1 chain mail, and he has a +1 mace, a potion of gaseous form, a helm of mental protection (see ‘Magic Items’ in the appendix), his holy symbol, and the key to room 24.
1st‐level spells: cure light wounds (x2), light, protection from good 2nd‐level spells: hold person, spiritual hammer, resist fire
3rd‐level spells: animate dead, cause blindness 4th‐level spell: poison
A cabinet holds a sack of 1,500 g.p., six vials of unholy water, six scrolls of cure light wounds, and a cursed jewel‐studded chalice of gold (worth 15,000 g.p.). Any good‐aligned or neutral characters who touch it must save vs. magic or desire to own it, even to the point of killing friends and associates!
22) Robing Room: Four cabinets contain black robes trimmed in silver, some ordinary garments and 6 masks made of silver and copper worth 30 GPS each.
23) Cavern with many stalactites on the roof. The doors to the north are locked and trapped: Six stalactites will fall in front of the door, hitting as a 6th‐level fighter for 2‐7 each unless the priest’s key from room 21 is used.
24) Comfortable room with a fireplace, comfortable chairs, table, cabinet of wine, etc. A shelf holds books dealing with evil and history. The books will be worth 10‐30 GPS each.
24a) Triangular Room: This small triangular room has three doors, one in each wall. There is a triangular rug in the room with a swirling pattern in red and green around the edges and a black circle in the center. The black circle is surrounded by gold runes embroidered into the rug. Anyone of non‐chaotic alignment who attempts to read the runes must make a saving throw versus spell or stand entranced for 2‐5 turns, staring at the rug. If they are wounded or struck while entranced by the rug, they will snap out of it. The rug will be worth 1,000 GPS to a select number of chaotic purchasers, but most reputable buyers will refuse to purchase it.
24b) Room of the acolytes: Two simple beds, table, chairs, candles, lantern, and six scrolls of religious texts. One scroll will make any lawful person dizzy (‐2 to attack, 20% chance of spell failure) for 2‐5 hours. Also herein are two locked chests, each containing clothes and 100‐600 g.p.
24c) Priest’s Room: This luxurious room is furnished with a soft bed, silk sheets, a large cabinet of robes and other clothing and a decanter of wine and six silver cups (worth 50 g.p. each) on a table. A locked iron chest has a poison pin in the lock. It contains 300 g.p., 300 p.p., and (folded‐up in the bottom) a cloak of poisonousness.
25) Waterfall Room: Water cascades down from an opening in the wall 20 feet above and falls into a pool. A small wooden boat (large enough for 4 passengers at most) is pulled‐up on shore. Behind the waterfall (and visible only if one goes behind the cascade and looks) is a tiny tunnel to Level 3C. Anyone going behind the waterfall from the side (walking along the wall) will only get slightly damp. Anyone trying to force their way directly through the water will be swept down into the pool.
26) Secret Room: This room has cranks on the east and west walls and two levers on the south wall. The cranks can be used to raise the portcullis in area 18 ‐ the east crank raises the furthest portcullis and the west crank raises the closer one. The levers drop the portcullis when raised and are currently both in the 'down' position. The right hand lever drops the portcullis that blocks the entrance to 3D and the left hand lever drops the portcullis between 18 and 19.
27) Cascade: A narrow passage leads from a secret door at location 11. From here, one can see the cavern with the waterfall that plunges from level 2 down to level 5. Climbing up or down will be very difficult due to the water from the cascade making everything slippery.
LEVEL 3A: The Upper Goblin Caves
The southern part of this level (1 thru 11) is overrun by ghouls from level 3 and some cave worms. The northern portion (12‐16) is occupied by goblins. The goblins keep the door to this area locked and guarded (12) to make sure they are not invaded by ghouls.
A temple to The Beast Lord(13) is the scene of frequent human and demi‐human sacrifice.
One room contains goblins that have been infected by the ghouls(10). The healthy goblins recently
“lost” this room to ghoul invaders and barricaded it shut, leaving some of their comrades on the wrong side of the door.
There is a long‐lost secret room(17) which has never been discovered by the goblins. It contains the remains of a dwarf and keys to the treasury on level 3c.
On the east side of the map, hidden behind a pit trap protected by an illusion, is a secret door that leads to a red dwarf hideout (a tunnel behind a secret door slopes down at 45 degree angle to 4f).
Introduction:
Special Effects:
Entrances and Exits:
Updating the Level:
The Original DM’s Notes: Level 3a: One of my favorite levels, this one was half occupied by goblins and half overrun with ghouls. In some areas, players could run into goblins who had been ‘ghoulified.’ In other places, they could find terrified goblin guards who were tasked with keeping the ghoul population from encroaching on goblin town. I remember players in my old group had picked up a couple of wheelbarrows somewhere and were carting 2 or 3 party members who had been paralyzed by ghouls while exploring this level.
Wandering monsters:
South Portion(1‐11): North Portion(12‐19):
1. 2‐5 ghouls 1. 2‐8 goblin guards on patrol
2. 2‐5 ghouls 2. 1‐3 wolves
3. 1‐3 cave worms 3. 2‐5 elite goblins (2hd) 4. 2‐12 giant centipedes 4. 1‐4 bugbears
5. 2‐12 giant rats 5. 2‐8 giant rats 6. other (dm’s choice) 6. other (dm’s choice)
1) Entrance: On every map, locations labeled 1 will be the entrances to that map. They are normally labeled a, b, c., etc.
1a) tunnel to level 3.
1b) This long and sloping tunnel leads up to level 2a. The saurians use this passage to bring sacrifices to Urbus at location 19.
1c) Secret passage to level 3f.
1d) Illusion Pit and secret door: An illusion of normal floor covers a 20 foot deep pit filled with poisoned iron spikes. Anyone falling in will take 2d6 for the fall and be punctured by 1‐6 spikes (1‐6 dmg + save vs poison). A dead goblin and a dead ghoul are in the pit; the goblin’s armor is ruined but his short sword is intact.
The very well‐constructed secret door (1 in 20 to find) at the end of the hall leads to a 4’ wide passage that slopes down to level 4f (Secret Red dwarf Hold). A wooden plank long enough to
The very well‐constructed secret door (1 in 20 to find) at the end of the hall leads to a 4’ wide passage that slopes down to level 4f (Secret Red dwarf Hold). A wooden plank long enough to