Page 79 - Tales from the Yawning Portal

Buried beneath he ·eletons is a chalice of beaten
gold. inset with L-.;: amethysts, that weighs 1 pound and
is worth 150 gp.
Pelota Ball. The ball. made of rubber wound around
a balsa core. is u ed in the game of pelota. It is the same
size as the depression in the wall, which is one of the
goals on this playing field. The ball is cool to the touch.
If it is picked up. it suddenly jerks free of the holder's
grasp and rebounds off the south wall, then speeds 30
feet to the north and hovers. It animates for the purpose
of challenging the violators of the tomb to a game.
The ball can fly up to 30 feet on its turn, and it can
hover. It makes melee weapon attacks with a +5 bonus,
dealing 1 (ld4 - 1) bludgeoning damage on a hit. The
ball has AC 13 and 50 hit points. It is immune to all
damage except for magical effects that deal acid, fire,
force, piercing, or slashing damage. The ball is immune
to most conditions, but it can be grappled or restrained
by effects that work on objects. It makes ability checks
to escape such entanglements with a +5 bonus.
Start of the Game. Roll initiative. The ball uses its
initial actions to bounce off the walls and strike at char-
acters, trying to get them to strike back. When a char-
acter's attack hits the ball, it bounces off the south wall,
and the depression in the wall briefly glows orange.
After the second such occurrence, the ball will break
off its attacks. A sound like that of a trumpet indicates
that the game is about to start. The goal above the pit
and another goal at the northern end of the hall 140 feet
29. THE TOMB OF PELOTA
away are limned in orange light that remains until the
game ends. When the characters hit the ball, it flies to
As you approach a bend in the passage, you see a series the south and the southern goal flashes briefly. When
the ball moves, it flies to the north, and the northern
of faint line drawings on the walls depicting people play-
goal flashes.
ing a game that uses a ball and has goals on either end of
How to Win. The characters win the game by propel-
the playing field. ling the ball into the goal above the pit while preventing
the ball from reaching the northern end of the hall. If all
the characters fail to hit the ball for 1 round, the faint
At the place where the corridor bends is a capstone that
sound of a drum dirge will be heard.
seemingly covers a hole in the floor. Etched into the A character who attacks the ball successfully sends
top of the slab are several glyphs obscured by a layer it flying south up to 15 feet. To knock the ball into the
of dust. This writing, in Olman, reads, "Dare not open southern goal, the ball must be within 15 feet of the
this pit unless you be willing to meet the challenge
goal, and a player must declare that the character is
of pelota."
trying to score. If the character's attack roll exceeds the
Five feet above the capstone in the southern wall is a
ball's AC by 4 or more, the ball goes into the goal.
hemispherical depression 1 foot in diameter. If the ball moves to within 5 feet of the northern wall,
Lifting the capstone requires the application of lever- it can bounce itself into its own goal. To do so, the ball
age and the combined effort of up to two characters with must make a successful attack roll against AC 15.
a total Strength of 25 or higher. Beneath the stone lid Once the ball is knocked into a goal, it sticks there for
is a pit filled with the skeletal remains of the losers of a 1 round, impossible to remove without destroying it. If
previous game of pelota in this area. Atop the bones rest
the ball enters the goal to the north, a number of magic
several figurines and a plaque, all made of jade, and a missiles erupt from the goal equal to the number of con-
glistening black ball 1 foot in diameter. scious characters in the corridor. Each missile strikes a
Cursed Treasure. If any treasure is removed from
the pit, a curse will fall upon its bearer 1 hour later. The different character for 3 (ld4 + 1) force damage.
When the ball moves out of a goal, it flies to the center
victim must succeed on a DC 15 saving throw, or it has
of the corridor and hovers, awaiting the start of another
disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity ability checks
point. The game continues until the characters die or
and saving throws until the curse is dispelled. score a goal that puts them 2 points ahead of the ball.
The jade plaque depicts two men, wearing padding on Spoils of Victory. If the characters win, the ball be-
their arms and hips, with a large ball traveling between comes inert. The sound of triumphant drums erupts
them. The figurines are carved in the image of a sun-god briefly, then the area goes silent. The southern goal goes
in a feathered robe. There are seven jade items in all, dark, but the northern goal continues to glow orange.
weighing 1 pound and worth 30 gp each.

CHAPTER 3 I THE HIDDEN SHRINE OF TAMOACHAN