The Middle of the Bottom: Behind the Screen

This session would’ve been way more difficult if one player had not digitised his home-made map of the dungeon (I gave him an inspiration point for doing it). Much of the dungeon was run as-is. I simplified the soul-transferring machine by ruling it would permanently transfer a PC’s soul if they used it, fixable with a casting of soul jar perhaps. Gave the construct 20 STR, and planned to take the victim PC’s stats and alter them thus: +3 CON, -4 DEX, -4 CHA.

The Temple/Skeleton Circlet

Most Important Advice: Don’t make your players roll a skill check to notice the circlet of skeleton control! If they look at the statue just tell them it’s there.

It was 12-Bar that had the vision from Anarchocles when the party broke into the Old Church. I've not 100% decided the facts, but I’m making the dead god in Sigil’s Old Church the same berk whose skull makes the Wand of Orcus. I think it was 12-Bar who had the vision, I see now there’s no record of it in past notes. The vision had been of M'narr wearing the band before turning to dust and being blown away on the breeze. I am most relieved the party looted it. I plan for the band to be not sentient, but and not good or evil. Just that whoever in the party holds or wears it feels a vague sense of neutral rightness.

The Lab

I dumped a load of extra treasure in here. One of the Teeth of Dahlver-Nar for one; in one storage room, enough herbs to make 1d8 potions of healing – 12-Bar’s a herbalist now, and I should encourage that

The Black Diamond

Succor is a forgotten spell from AD&D, modified here to allow Tenebrous to summon the diamond's bearer to him. Do you want your players to have access to a diamond worth 8,000gp (before the gem of seeing is even taken into account)? If not, don't let the succor be dispellable, make it part of the magic item. And if you don't want this instant-death trap for your players, cut it out entirely.

My own plan is that if anyone casts identify on it, they will realise the succor enchantment, and be allowed a DEX save to drop the diamond before Tenebrous summons it.

The Safe

Hidden behind a false panel in the Laboratory is the Demonomicon of Iggwilv. Noticing the panel requires a DC 20 Investigation/Perception check. Rolling a 25 or higher on this check also reveals the traps and lock. Otherwise, someone specifically searching for traps/locks finds them on a successful DC 20 Investigation/Perception check.

The panel is protected by two traps: a symbol (Death, 100 damage, DC 20 Con save for half) and a mechanism that sprays flesh-eating gas in a 15-foot radius (10d10 necrotic damage, DC 20 Con save for half). Each trap is triggered by disarming the other trap, or by opening the lock. The traps can only safely be disarmed by casting a successful dispel magic on the symbol at the same time the gas trap is disarmed. The lock is DC 25. Very difficult altogether - but the reward is an artefact-level magic item.

Sample Illusions for the Visages

  • Behind the first iron door into the prison is a corridor that ends abruptly into the void, with a faltering forcefield dividing the two (this worked extremely well on my party);
  • A structural breach in the metal of Tcian Sumere (perhaps undead fly in from outside, or the metal shards animate and attack);
  • Never-ending corridor;
  • Gravity returns, and everyone is stuck on the ground while the visages attack overhead;
  • Ghosts phase through the walls, or other undead enter through the doors.

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