5E Friday

-Should we trust WotC with 5E? One of the things coming out of WotC is that we should trust them with this latest iteration of D&D, that they are working their hardest to produce the best game possible that will bridge a variety of game play styles.

Some say we should trust them. That they are full of new staff and thus have a new vision and direction., That they have learned from past mistakes and from past successes. That they should not be judged by the past because they (the designers involved) are not the same as those who made the mistakes of the past.

Some say we should never trust them again. They have proven again and again they can not deliver that which they promise. "Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me". They have had plenty of chances to gain our trust and each time they have failed that trust.

I say we should look at them with an attitude in-between the two extremes. Yes, the designers have changed and with it come new ideas and approaches on how to do things at all levels. Yes, they have a proven track record of dropping the ball. Personally, I will be giving them a chance to prove themselves, but without ready and blind acceptance.

Should we trust WotC? No. Should we give them the benefit of the doubt? Yes.

RPGs and Real Life Politics

There is a saying that you should never mention politics or religion in a social setting. It always leads to heated debates and ill-will. Both are highly personalized things where rarely, if ever, do two people have identical beliefs. That said, have you ever brought up real world politics or religion at the gaming table?

I have been gaming with some of my players for over 20 years and some for only 5 years. I could not tell you what political party any of them is a part of. I could not tell you their stance on abortion or government sanctioned healthcare.

Most of our table talk, outside of the game, runs to video games, movies, books, TV, the recent Olympics and, of course, rpgs. While it has not been discussed, its like we have made an unconscious decision to avoid the topics that could lead to dissension and heated arguments. How is it at your table?

5E Friday

-Daemon over at Thief on the Flats asked the question "D&D Next-Saving the Industry or Killing it?". I think there are actually three possible outcomes for 5E and 'Killing It' will not be the outcome that will happen. The three possible outcomes are...

Saving the Industry. By this I mean that new players will flock to the game, pick it up in droves and RPGs receive a sustained boom of sales similar to the early days of D&D and when 3E launched.
Nothing Happens. The industry continues on as now; it remains a niche market with the occasional spark of interest in an rpg that comes out strong. Some will continue to make money at it, while others do it simply for the love of it.
Killing It. The player base continues to fracture and less people play rpgs.

I can see outcome one or two happening, but outcome three can not happen...

Saving the Industry. This might happen. 5E could become the entry point for the rpg industry. People might be curious about "that game everyone is playing" and give it a try. The more people that play one system the more word is spread and non-gamers would get a more concentrated message being sent to them, which would lead to more new gamers playing. And from there people would branch out into other game system and genres.
Nothing Happens. Herein 5E is released and is greeted much the same as any other new rpg system. I think it will do much better than the "average" release but as for its effect upon the overall industry it will have minimal effect. It really comes down to if the industry buys into it. If the industry supports the system much the same as when 3E came out (which is highly dependent on how much WotC allows 3rd party publishers to participate in 5E) then 5E will indeed invigorate the industry. However, this is an unknown at this point and dependent on more unknown factors.
Killing it. 5E can not kill the RPG industry. If there is no industry buy-in, no one supports the system, rpgs will, at the least, continue as they already do. 4E didn't kill the industry, it just spread out where the money is going. People do not stop playing rpgs because they do not like a particular D&D edition. Instead they move onto another game or stay with their own preferred edition.

So for me the real question is ""D&D Next-Saving the Industry or Having No Effect?"

The Morally Easy to Kill Monster

Killing stuff is a mainstay of role-playing games. And while there is a barrier between a player and their character, at times the morality of a character doing such killing is a factor for the player. Often times (except during specifically "evil campaigns") players go out of their way to not have their characters kill non-evil creatures. However, it is open season on "evil" races such as orcs, trolls and undead. And that is because they are morally easy to kill monsters.

The morally easy to kill monster is not a new idea. History is full of the concept. The dehumanization of the enemy is a long standing practice during wartime. It is easier to kill an enemy if he is not the same as ourselves. In WWII the enemy was not the Germans, it was the Nazis or "Krauts". This is done in RPG games as well. In modern-day setting games, the enemy is something evil, something alien from ourselves; drug dealers, terrorists, even Nazis and space aliens. It is "okay" to kill such enemies.

Fiction is also rife with them. The Cylons are an evil race of machines; they are not even human. Likewise, Star Wars featured a war between clones and robots. In fact, there is a reason Stormtroopers are always seen in their full helmets. It is another way to dehumanize them. The audience can cheer at their deaths without feeling guilty about it.

This brings us to the fantasy genre wherein the dehumanization of monsters is done at the outset. Most adventurers will end up fighting goblins, rust monsters and manticores. These have already been dehumanized simply because they are not human. They easily fall into the same category as killing space aliens. When humans are attacked, they are necromancers, cultists and bandits; easy to handle characterizations.

And players like this moral freedom when killing stuff. They like to kill imaginary things with no twinge on their conscious. Which is why it is a good idea for a DM to include such creatures in their setting and in their adventures. The dehumanization or humanization of an adversary should be a conscious choice on the part of a DM.

Because it is possible to humanize a monster. If a DM introduces orcs that have been “humanized” with such techniques as letting the adventurers encounter some orc babies or a good-aligned orc it removes them from being “morally easy to kill monsters”. From then on the players will need to question if they can kill such opponents indiscriminately. While this is an excellent method to get players to role-play in-character or give then another type of choice to make, it should be used sparingly. Players need their characters to kill stuff; if every kill spree is mired in moral choices it “kills” the fun of…killing.

System Death

Should a game system kill a character or should the environment/monsters/setting/adventure kill a character?

I have seen game systems that penalize a character for doing cool stuff, for playing their character. Specifically the use of magic. If you cast a spell there is a chance the character will go insane or lose stats that eventually causes the death of the character. Every time a player rolls a specific number, such as a 1, when using a specific character skill or item they move one step closer to character death.

There is a delineation between System Death, when system mechanics lead to the death of a character, and environmental effects or monsters that kill a character. I also do not mind putting in system mechanics to limit the use of certain powers and abilities; this is often done for the sake of balance. What I do not like is System Death, especially if said power or ability is part of the core concept of the character. I prefer a character death that comes from making bad choices, from ignoring the warning signs of impending doom. I would prefer a player says "My character was killed by a Balrog" or "My character was killed by stepping into a Sphere of Annihilation" rather than "My character died because I rolled a 1 on my spell casting".

I can understand that System Death is often a mechanic to add tension, but it is not my preference. Let a character die from choices the player makes, not from some arbitrary system mechanic. How do you feel about game system mechanics that send a character into the downward spiral of character death?

Dwarven City of the Black Mountains - Level 4 & 5

This is a 5 Level dungeon and former dwarven city. It has over 155 rooms. I'm not sure how long ago it was written but it is for 1E. My dungeon design has come along way since those early days, but the overall design still makes for a good layout of a dwarven city...even if the actual encounters don't work. I think the original design was that a dragon had taken over the city and allowed various denizens to inhabit it as well. I'll be posting the entire dungeon over the course of the week.

Level 4

137) Stairs to level 2, #35.

138) Stairs to Level 5, #145

139 Soldiers Quarters. Contains 3 Umber Hulks- 45, 52, 47, 7 gems, 202 pp, 1 jewelry, Bow +1, Ring (free action), Shield +4, Scroll (protection from lycanthropes).

140) Prisoner's Cells. Empty.

141) A Crazed Orc- 1 is chained to the wall here. He will accept no help, attacking w/teeth. He is beyond help.

142) 2 Giant Trolls- 34, 39, 650 sp, 160 cp, 3 gems, 1500 cp.

143) 4 Galltrits- 2, 2, 2, 2. 2 gems lie in the center of the room. The Galltrits will attack undetectably. Use random chance to determine who they attack.

144) Black Pudding- 44.

Level 5

145) Stairs to level 4, #138. All torches are lit.

146) Receiving bin for the ore chute from Level 3. A 10x10x10 pillar of debris goes up into the ore chute. If the debris is moved more will fall to take its place.

147) The floor is made of stones put together. Each dark spot is an arrow release pad. If stepped on an arrow comes whizzing out doing 1-8 hp damage. If hit by an arrow there is a 35% chance of the person falling and touching off another arrow. Once activated the arrow never misses. It takes about 100 pounds to activate these pads.

148) Spear Pit Trap. If one falls in they receive 2-12 hp damage.

149) The pit is activated by touch. If someone falls in they will sustain 1-8 plus 10-Armor Class. If someone goes down they will notice a button. If the button is pushed the southern wall of pit opens upward and stairs appear (see map). If any are standing where the steps will appear they will fall sown the stairs suffering 1-10 plus 10-AC. Stairs go up where the southern wall opens.

150) Counting Room. Nothing of value.

151) Guard's Room. Contains a Purple Worm- 73, 4000 sp, 1000 ep, 1000 gp, 10 gems, Potion (speed), Sword +4.

152) Ore Smithies. Contains 4 Displacer Beasts- 26, 23, 32, 24, 10000 sp, 2500 gp.

153) Gem Sorter's Room. Contains 6 Ghasts- 8, 7, ,7 ,8 11, 7, 1000 gp, 3 gems, 1 jewelry, Potion (plant control), Potion (delusion), Potion (invulnerability), Potion (fire resistance).

154) Treasure Room. Contains an ancient huge Red Dragon- 88, Pallinstamros. It speaks and does magic. It knows the following spells:

1st- protection from good, ventriloquism; 2nd- scare, knock; 3rd- protection from normal missiles, lightning; 4th- remove curse, wall of ice. She is awake. Also in the room is 68000 cp, 68000 gp, 59 gems, 52 jewelry, 4500 pp, 50000 cp, 20000 sp, Potion (gaseous form), Potion (giant strength), Potion (extra-healing), Scroll (7th- simulacrum), Scroll (1st- nystul's magic aura, shield), Scroll (protection from lycanthropes), scroll (protection from petrification), Scroll (5th- contact other plane, stone shape; 6th- reincarnation, stone to flesh), Scroll (3rd- haste; 4th- plant growth), Shield +4, Sword +3, Morning Star +1, Platemail +1, Scalemail +2, Rug of Smothering, Dagger +4, Ring (protection +1), Ring (feather falling), Axe +5, Wand (magic missiles), Wand (fire), Scimitar +2, Ring (protection+4, +2 saving throws),

Gem of the Mountain- (color spray-3/day; detect invisibility, hypnotic pattern-3/day; light-1/week; charm monster-2/day; charm person-7/week; dispel illusion-2/day, phantasmal killer-1/day; true seeing-1/day; gems decrease in value, hairs turns white, lycanthropy of alignment of possessor. User shrinks 1/4" each time the following are used: meteor swarm-1/day; prismatic spray-1/day; time stop-1/week. All abilities are raised 3 points.) Once touched the gem sticks to the hand. However, things go right through the gem so that the user can still use his hand.

155) This passage leads to a secret opening in the side of the mountain.

Dwarven City of the Black Mountains - Level 3

This is a 5 Level dungeon and former dwarven city. It has over 155 rooms. I'm not sure how long ago it was written but it is for 1E. My dungeon design has come along way since those early days, but the overall design still makes for a good layout of a dwarven city...even if the actual encounters don't work. I think the original design was that a dragon had taken over the city and allowed various denizens to inhabit it as well. I'll be posting the entire dungeon over the course of the week.

Level 3

92) Stairs to Level 1, #13.

93) stairs to Level 2, #35.

94) Miner's Room. Each chest contains nothing.

95) In this room is an insane Dwarf- 4 who hides behind his chest and when discovered he will beg the characters to take him along. His name is Drammontoedus. He carries only a dagger but will fight unless someone tries to take his 33 pp at which point he will run back to his room. Due to his insanity he won't be able to tell any of the party anything about the dungeon.

96) A 7HD Protein Polymorph- 23 is here with 2000 gp, 4000 ep. The Protein Polymorph is in the form of 2 gargoyles. Both gargoyles will attack (roll only one "to hit") and if one hits they will turn into a blob and surround the creature.

97) 7 Quaggoths- 10, 5, 10, 9, 5, 10, 9, 200 pp, 22 gems, potion (invulnerability), Dagger +5, Dagger of Venom.

98) 26 Troglodytes- 8, 10, 4, 8, 11, 14, 7, 10, 12, 4 , 12, 6, 4, 16, 7, 14, 4000 ep, 1000 gp, 7 gems, Bag of Tricks, Boots of Striding & Springing, Shield +2.

99) Pentardos- 23 an evil M-U is here. AC 7. 10th Level. His spells are:

1st- identify, write, shield, tenser's floating disk;

2nd- web, rope trick, detect invisibility, continual light;

3rd- protection from good 10' radius, rust, gust of wind;

4th- polymorph self, fear;

5th- hold monster, cone of cold.

He has made 2 Scarecrows- 14, 22. he also has 400 gp, Potion (healing), Ring (mammal control), Dagger +4, ring (protection+3, Brooch of Shielding.

100) 3 Cockatrices- 19, 29, 24, 5000 ep, 1000 gp, 3 gems, 1 jewelry. one cockatrice is under the bed, another is under the chair and the third is on the treasure. 2 statues aer in the room.

101) A Flail Snail with 4 Tentacles- 3, 7, 4, 8.

102) 3 Shadows- 19, 10, 12 are hiding in the shadows. Also in the room is 20000 sp.

103) 3 Umber Hulks- 39, 42, 36, 2000 gp, 50 pp.

104) 10 Gnolls- 7, 4, 6, 7, 8, 8, 6, 7, 12, 11, 5000 cp, 4 jewelry, potion (gaseous form), Potion (delusion), Potion (animal control-reptile-fish), Potion (oil of etherealness), Potion (philter of love), Potion (healing).

105) 1 Ettercap- 20. He has a tripwire which is only 10% noticeable. The Ettercap is faking that he is asleep.

106) 11 Ghouls- 9, 10, 10, 7, 2, 10, 16, 4, 11, 13, 14, 8000 ep, 3 jewelry.

107) Frost Man- 23, 5000 sp.

108) 2 Shockers- 3, 7.

109) 4 Gargoyles- 26, 26, 24, 11, 1000 sp, 2000 ep, 1 jewelry, 2000 cp.

110) 3 Minotaurs- 34, 34, 31, 6 gems, 3000 sp.

111) A Nightmare- 31 and Spectre= 34, 4 gems, 4000 gp, Potion (poison), 3 Javelins of lightning.

112) There is a chest with 10 gems, 5 jewelry, Scroll (1st- shocking grasp; 2nd- stinking cloud; 5th monster summoning III; 6th- part water; 7th- powerword (stun)). potion (diminution), Platemail +2. Once the chest is open a Guardian Daemon- 25 in the form of a large black cat jumps out.

113) 13 Doppelgangers- 15, 24, 22x11, 3000 ep, 10 gems, 10 jewelry, Dust of Disappearance, Sword +2 Giant Slayer, Scroll (protection from undead). The Doppelgangers will assume the form of a fighter or thief, etc (never a magic using class) and attack that person. Each Doppelganger will pick a different person as much as possible.

114) 5 Skulks- 5, 7, 8, 11, 6, 5000 sp, 7 gems, 3 jewelry. The skulks will attack while the party is diving the money. if the party set a watch while counting, the Skulks will wait and then follow the party.

115) Trapper- 48, 5000 gp, 100 pp, Wand of Magic Detection, Chainmail +2, Sword -2 Cursed, Scroll (protection from devils).

116) 18 Ogrillons- 7, 9, 3, 4, 12, 4, 5, 13x11, 5000 sp, 2000 gp, 3 gems.

117) A Chimera- 43, 5000 gp, 7 gems.

118) Storeroom. Contains 34 Flinds- 9, 17, 17, 16, 15, 8, 5, 15, 10, 11, 8, 7, 12, 11x21, 200 pp, 2000 cp, 2000 sp, 13 gems, 6 jewelry.

119) Entrance to the mining area. The ceilings are supported u wooden beams in the mine shafts. Normally there is only a 5% chance in every 5 rounds of a cave-in, but during a fight there is a 10% chance n every 3 rounds. If a cave-in occurs all will suffer 2-24 hit points damage; it will take 1 turn to dig back out and there is a 5% chance that no one will be able to dig out.

120) Ore chute to Level . Sealed with debris.

121) A party of adventurers are walking north. See the chart in the DM Guide, page 63, to see how they react:

            Fighter (Soretan)- Level 7- HP 44, AC 4, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align CN. Ring (protection +1), 2 Javelin +2, Dust of Appearance. 980 gp.

            M-U (Uincapton)- Level 6- HP 12, AC 9, #AT 1, Dam special, Align LG. Ring (protection +2), Scroll (4th- ice storm), potion (speed). 360 gp. Spells: 1st- read magic, write, protection from evil, find familiar; 2nd- flash, levitate; 3rd- permanent disk, suggestion.

            M-U (Raptorrian)- Level 11- HP 28, AC 8, #AT 1, Dam special, Align CN. Potion (animal control-mammals), Potion (levitation), Dagger +5, Staff of Striking (27), Cloak of Elvenkind, Cloak of Displacement. 880 gp. Spells: 1st- nystul's magic aura, jump, push, comprehend languages; 2nd- shatter, rope trick, air mirror, flash; 3rd- flame arrow, protection from normal missiles, feign death, infravision; 4th- hallucinatory terrain, remove curse, fumble; 5th- teleport, cone of cold, monster summoning III.

            Fighter (Pommertran)- Level 11- HP 61, AC 4, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align N. Dagger +7, Potion (healing), Potion (fire resistance), Brooch of Shielding, 3 Javelins of lightning.

            Monk (Trasputos)- Level 7- HP 20, AC 2, #AT 3/2, Dam 3-9, Align LE. Ring (protection +3), Crossbow of Speed. 63 gp.

            4 Men-at-Arms- 4, 3, 4, 6.

122) 10 Piercers- 1HD- 7, 7, 8; 2HD- 10; 3HD- 8; 4HD- 18, 19, 10, 13, 21.

123) 6 Wights- 22, 18, 22, 23, 18, 20, 4000 ep, 2000 gp, 5 gems.

124) 2 Stone Giants- 49, 44 and 2 Cave Bears- 37, 33, 1000 ep, 7000 sp, 2000 gp, 6 gems.

125) 5 Giant Trolls- 45, 40, 43, 35, 31, 7000 cp, 3000 sp, 5 gems, 3 jewelry.

126) Empty Cavern.

127) A Lawful Evil Magic-User is walking north. Aerdinnodi- Level 13- HP 36, AC 8. He has a Potion (healing), Potion (extra-healing), Potion (polymorph self), Potion (Fire resistance), potion (speed), Staff of Striking (54), Scroll (3rd- water breathing; 4th- plant growth; 5th- passwall), Boots of Speed, Potion (oil of etherealness). 260gp. His spells are:

1st- read magic, magic missile, shield, identify, frost fingers;

2nd- wizard lock, flash, knock, esp, rope trick;

3rd- lightning bolt, suggestion, protection from good 10' radius, dispel magic, phantasmal force;

4th- dimension door, minor globe of invulnerability,

polymorph self, wall of fire;

5th- conjure elemental, passwall, teleport, wall of force;

6th- disintegrate, death spell.

With him is a Hellcat- 35 and 3 7th Level Fighters:

            Fingophlos- HP 70, AC 3, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align LE. Hammer +2, 490 gp.

            Pa-perastor- HP 70, AC 2, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align LN. Mace +1, Potion (invulnerability), Sword +1, 3 javelins of Lightning, 630 gp.

            Watterressu- HP 70, AC 2, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align CE. Javelin +2, Ring (mammal control), Mace +1, 770 gp.

128) A Vortex- 10.

129) 4 Carrion Crawlers- 15, 6, 17, 15, 4000 cp, 4000 ep, 2000 gp.

130) 19 Ogres- 24, 21, 21, 21, 17, 26, 20, 13, 20x11 and 5 females- 12, 11, 18, 13, 18 and 5 young- 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 7 gems, 1000 cp, 3760 gp, 3 jewelry.

131) A Nycadaemon- 90, 30 gems, Potion (healing). his name is Adimar but he calls himself "Skull Crusher".

132) Rubble seals the entrance to Adimar. it will take 1 hour to dig through in which time Adimar will be ready.

133) 5 Wraiths- 26, 22, 20, 27, 27, 12000 sp, 2000 gp, 4 gems.

134) A Retriever- 43 is looking for the Nycadaemon "Skull Crusher" (Adimar). the Retriever also has 1000 gp, 26 gems, 12 jewelry, Periapt of Health, Sword +2, Scroll (1st- hold person; 2nd- web; 3rd- suggestion; 4th- ice storm; 5th- acid rain; 7th- powerword (stun); 8th- polymorph any object).

135) Tunnel to Module D1-"Descent into the Depths of the earth". Use the first passage at a a steady decline, Then use encounter D3. From there use the second then third passage. Then take out the module="Caverns and Warrens of the Troglodytes" in Module D1. From there the only way out is the way they came in.

136) 4 Xorn- 31, 42, 40, 33, 2000 ep, 20 gems, 6000 gp, Potion (sweet water), scarab of Protection.

Dwarven City of the Black Mountains - Level 2

This is a 5 Level dungeon and former dwarven city. It has over 155 rooms. I'm not sure how long ago it was written but it is for 1E. My dungeon design has come along way since those early days, but the overall design still makes for a good layout of a dwarven city...even if the actual encounters don't work. I think the original design was that a dragon had taken over the city and allowed various denizens to inhabit it as well. I'll be posting the entire dungeon over the course of the week.

Level 2

30) Stairs to Level 1, #24.

31) Sentry Post. Empty.

32) Stairs to level 3, #93. 10 Gnolls- 5, 16, 9, 15, 7, 3, 12, 9, 11, 4, 7000 cp, Potion (water breathing), Potion (extra-healing), Potion (philter of persuasion), Potion (delusion), Potion (sweet water). If in trouble one will try to run to room #43.

33) Swinging Doors.

34) New Construction.

35) Stairs to Level 4, #137.

36) Gem Cutter's Rooms. Each room will have an uncut gem on a table and there is a 50% that there are two such gems in the room. In the chest there is 3-36 pp.

37) A Tween- 8 without a host is standing here looking for a new host.

38) A Gorbel - (See Fiend Folio) is looking for prey.

39) Gem Cutter's Room. 15 Ogrillon- 9, 13, 15, 14, 9, 7, 11, 2, 7, 9, 9, 8, 10, 13, 11, 1000 cp, 1000 sp, 2000 gp, 4 jewelry.

40) 2 Cockatrices- 21, 11, 5000 gp, Potion (speed), Manual of Puissant Skill at Arms, Rug of Welcome.

41) 17 Gibberlings- 3, 3, 3, 2, 8, 4, 4, 7, 5, 2, 8, 1, 2, 4, 7, 7, 7, 5000 sp, 2000 gp.

42) 7 Flumps- 12, 6, 9, 10, 9, 13, 8 are floating here.

43) 8 Flinds- 19, 12, 11, 11, 7, 13, 7, 19, 10 gems, 10 jewelry, 100 pp, 2000ep, Vacuous Grimoire, Wand of Wonder. If in trouble one will try to run to room #32.

44) 10 Kobolds- 4, 2, 4, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3.

45) Master Miner's Rooms. In each chest there will be 2-24 pp.

46) 5 Wererats- 9, 21, 19, 11, 11, 2 gems, 1000 sp, 2 jewelry.

47) A party of adventurers are walking west. See the chart in the DM Guide, page 63, to see how they react (add 10% to the roll):

            Monk (Castard)- Level 6- HP 16, AC 15, #AT 3/2, Dam 2-8/weapon, Align LG, Ring (mammal control), Javelin +2, Ring (protection +1), 60 gp.

            Fighter (Bardon)- Level 10- HP 64, AC 2, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align CN, Potion (extra-healing), Potion (polymorph self), Mace +1, Sword +1, 1000gp.

            Fighter (Trappond)- Level 7- HP 39, AC 4, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align N, 1050 gp.

            Thief (Purtron)- Level 11- HP 47, AC 4, #AT 1, Dam weapon x4, Align NE, Ring (protection +1), 4 Bolts +2, Dagger +3, Bracers of Defense (AC 4), Cloak (elvenkind), 1100 gp.

            Fighter (Campton)- Level 8- HP 52, AC 2, #AT 3/2, Dam weapon, Align NG, Cloak of Displacement, 960 gp.

            4 Men-at-Arms- 2, 3, 6, 5.

48) 7 Ghouls- 10, 10, 8, 7, 3, 8, 5, 3000 cp, 3 gems, Scroll (1st- find familiar; 2nd- fools gold, levitate, knock; 8th- permanency).

49) An Iron Cobra- 8 is guarding a chest which contains Ring (mammal control), Potion (healing), Scroll (protection from magic), Ring (invisibility), Scroll (2nd- detect evil; 4th- monster summoning II; 7th- duo dimension), 1050 gp. To deactivate the Cobra the word is "down" and to reactivate the word is "up". The chest has a Fire Trap on it.

Each round check (50%) if the Cobra's master appears. The Cobra's master (Burcardon) is a 15th Level M-U. His alignment is LE. His AC is 9. These are his spells:

1st- magic missile, mending, message, protection from good, shocking grasp;

2nd- ray of enfeeblement, darkness 15' radius, detect invisible, levitate, magic mouth;

3rd- invisibility 10' radius, hold person, protection from normal missiles, fly, infravision;

4th- monster summoning II x 2, minor globe, ice storm, fire trap;

5th- passwall, mordenkainen's faithful hound, stone shape, hold monster, wall of iron;

6th- control weather, monster summoning IV;

7th- limited wish.

50) 6 Giant Bats- 3, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, in the dung there is 1 Rotgrub- 1.

51) 5 Dire Corbies- 9, 10, 9, 9, 9, 15 gems.

52) 2 Leucrotta- 27, 24, 2000 gp, 3 gems. One leucrotta will be under the covers moaning in a female voice and when the party investigates the second leucrotta will charge from under the table.

53) 1 Shrieker- Will attract #64.

54) 2 Shriekers- Will attract #56 & #63.

55) 13 Shadows- 16, 18, 16x11, 3000 sp, 1000 gp, potion (healing), Ring (delusion, Tome of Leadership and Influence.

56) 2 gas Spores-1 each.

57) Grell- 23. 2 gems, 4000 gp.

58) 2 Garbugs, Violet- 15, 11, 4000 cp. They will be hovering near the ceiling and then will attack.

59) 7 Hell Hounds- 25, 17, 11, 13, 30, 19, 18, 2000 ep, 2000 cp, 4 gems. They are 5HD creatures.

60) 16 Qullan- 13, 10, 10, 10, 5, 13x11, 600sp, 30 pp, 2 gems.

61) 2 Cockatrices- 24, 32, 6000 sp, 1000 gp, 5 gems. There are 3 stone statues of men attacking. They are victims of the cockatrices.

62) Miner's Rooms. Each chest contains 2-5 pp.

63) Toilet. From the holes 5 Carrion Crawlers- 15, 17, 17, 7, 16 will attack. 3 crawlers for the top hole and two for the bottom hole. littered around the area there is 6000 sp, 3000 ep, 6 gems, 1 jewelry.

64) A Giant Poisonous Snake- 23 is traveling west.

65) 2 Shambling Mounds- 32, 43, 3000 cp, 1000gp, 4 jewelry, Potion (fire resistance), Eyes of Petrification.

66) A Lurker Above- 51 will attack if prodded or if at least 3 creatures enter the room. Also in the room is 5000 gp, 6000 sp.

67) A Sheet Phantom- 13 will drop from the ceiling (near the door)and try to envelop a character. A lump is under the bedcovers.

68) Lair of an Apparition- 30. Also in the room is 4000 sp.

69) The Apparition will appear through the door when characters are outside the door. Will attract #70.

70) A 10th Level M-U lives here. Darmattrus, HP 27, AC 7, Alignment NG. He will attempt to parley if no immediate hostile action is taken. He will offer to join the party. His spells are:

1st- mending, light, friends, identify;

2nd- scare, knock, rope trick, wizard lock;

3rd- haste, invisibility 10' radius, feign death;

4th- polymorph self, minor globe of invulnerability;

5th- phantom stalker, monster summoning III.

His Phantom Stalker- 24 will take all command quite literally because he was conjured several weeks ago. The M-U has 300 gp, Potion (speed), Potion (fire resistance). Scroll (2nd-forget; 4th-hallucinary terrain), Ring (protection+1), Ring (protection +3), Scroll (2nd-scare; 5th- feeblemind; 9th meteor swarm), Bag of Tricks.

71) 15 Ghasts- 25, 16, 21, 19, 14x11, 8000 cp, 3000 gp, 3000 pp, 9 jewelry, 12 gems, Potion (oil of etherealness), Potion (philter of persuasiveness), potion (philter of love), Potion (extra-healing), Potion (esp).

72) An Enveloper- 11, 8000 cp, 3 jewelry. The treasure is littered around the bed.

73) 14 Wights- 27, 12, 21, 12x11, 6000 sp, 2 jewelry.

74) 12 Stirges- 5, 5, 6, 8, 2, 3, 7, 7, 2, 3, 6, 8, 8000 ep, 200 gp, 3 gems.

75) A Kamadan- 20 with 5 heads and 8000 sp, 1 jewelry, Sword +4, scroll (2nd-detect invisibility; 3rd- invisibility 10' radius, monster summoning I)

76) Mess Hall. 4 Wyvern- 33x4, 8000 sp, 6000 ep, Morning Star +1, Boots of Speed.

77) Kitchen. There is nothing but moldy food stuffs in the cabinets. On one of the tables is a jar labeled (in dwarf) "Garbage". If this jar is opened a disgusting smell wuill escape and all failing their saving throw vs poison will be to do nothing for 1-10 rounds.

78) Store Room. Contains 5 Hook Horrors- 24, 24, 27, 19, 26, 4000 sp. Also in the room are casks of potent wine (+10%) and crates of moldy food.

79) Starting here you start to hear the Hook Horrors' clacking.

80) Game Room.

81) Bath. The bath water is now old and stagnant. 3 Blood Worms- 6, 36, 19, 9 gems.

82) Library/Lounge. For every 2 hours searching there is a 25% chance of finding a magical book.

83) Museum. On the walls are paintings of dwarves doing brave deeds. The east wall shows some dwarves holding off an attacking dragon at the gates. The north wall shows a mound of treasure full of coins and all types of other things. the south wall is all black except for a huge glowing gem which is painted in the middle of the wall. The west wall shows a mountain and a road dwindling away.

84) Storeroom. Contains a Coffer Corpse- 13, 6000 ep. There are very old blood stains on the floor. Also in the room are mining utensils (picks, etc).

85) Storeroom. Contains 4 huge Spiders- 15, 5, 12, 8, 3 gems, 96 cp, 24 pp, 40 gp. the spiders will rush out from behind some crates they have built up.

86) M-U Room. Chest contains 1-12 pp.

87) M-U Workroom. Nothing of value.

88) M-U Room. 4 Manticore- 27x4, 5000 ep, 3 jewelry.

89) M-U Workroom. Nothing of value.

90) M-U Room. 4 Giant Trolls- 28x2, 35x2, 1000 ep, 3 gems, 2 jewelry, Shield +2.

91) M-U Workroom. a Potion (extra-healing), Potion (polymorph self), Dagger +4.