Page 121 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

• When a creature enters the trapped 10-foot-square Any creature that beholds the painting must succeed
space marked on map 9 for the first time on a turn on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or suffer a random
or starts its turn there, the medusa statue in area 3 form of long-term madness, determined by rolling on
animates and shoots a magic arrow at the creature. (If the Long-Term Madness table in chapter 8 of the Dun-
the headmaster is accompanying characters through geon Master's Guide. On a failed save, a creature can be
this hall, the arcanaloth uses a mage hand cantrip to affected by the painting again, but not until its current
press the button and deactivate the trap.) madness ends.
• A stone button is concealed in the north wall, dis-
guised to look like a section of the staff that represents 6. READING NICHE
conjuration. A character who searches the wall spots
Desks. In the middle of the room stands a row of desks.
the button with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Percep-
Seated behind one of the desks is Spite Harrowdale
tion) check. Pressing the button results in a loud click-
(NE male Rashemi human archmage who speaks
ing noise as the arrow trap deactivates for 1 minute.
Abyssal, Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Giant, and Pri-
mordial). His oni bodyguard, disguised as a half-ogre
3. MEDUSAjUNCTI_ O_ N _____ _
named Dumara, stands beside him.
The walls of this room rise vertically 10 feet, then angle Bookshelves. Tall bookshelves packed with soft-cov-
inward to a 20-foot-high apex. In the middle of the room, ered notebooks line the northeast and southwest
standing atop a 1-foot-high cylindrical block of stone, is walls. The books are organized by topic.
a statue of a scowling medusa with a longbow and an Pneumatic Tubes. A row of ten pneumatic tubes is fas-
empty quiver. The statue gazes north. tened to the back wall. Beneath the tubes is a shelf of
When a creature sets off the trap in area 2, a poisoned empty copper canisters.
arrow materializes in the medusa's grasp as the statue
Spite is holding a wand with a fight cantrip cast on
animates. It immediately draws back on the bow and
the end of it and reading a bone-dry biography of Ah-
shoots the arrow at the creature that triggered the trap
ghairon, the archwizard who founded Waterdeep. If the
(+6 to hit), dealing 6 (ld8 + 2) piercing damage plus 14
characters are being led through Dweomercore by the
(4d6) poison damage on a hit.
headmaster, Spite smiles at them as they pass by. Once
The medusa statue is a Medium object with AC 15,
they're gone, he and the oni cast invisibility on them-
50 hit points, and immunity to all damage except force
selves and follow the characters, curious to learn their
damage. It weighs 1,200 pounds. A creature can use
intentions in Dweomercore. Spite and Dumara confront
an action to try to knock the statue off its base, doing so
the characters as soon as they can do so privately (see
with a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check. If it
"Evil Students," page 117).
is toppled, the statue does not animate until returned to
The notebooks stored here are small and thin enough
its former position. (If Worm riddle learns about the top-
that they can be curled up and stuffed in pneumatic
pled statue, she and her Resh golems set it right before
tube canisters. The books cover subjects of interest to
seeking to punish those responsible.)
wizards, including spell component harvesting, rumina-
tions on the Weave, biographies of famous wizards and
4. FRESH WATER FOUNTAIN
liches, tips for creating realistic illusions, and essays
Fountain. Fresh water from a natural spring pours written by previous students on a wide range of arcane
out of the mouth of a bas-relief carved to look like topics. Any book in this collection that is removed from
Halaster's overjoyed visage, whereupon it spills into a Dweomercore magically disappears and reappears back
semicircular stone basin enclosed by a 2-foot-high re- on its proper shelf.
taining wall before draining out through tiny holes.
Guards. Flanking the fountain are two mezzoloths. PNEUMATIC TuBES
Braziers. Two unlit stone braziers shaped like clawed The tubes connect to the students' dormitories (areas
hands rise from the floor at the south end of the room. 8 and 11). From left to right, the tubes are labeled "Tur-
bulence" (area 8a), "Violence" (area 8b), "Karstis" (area
The mezzoloths ensure that no one tampers with the
8c), "Yarek" (area 8d), "Spite" (area lla), "Skrianna"
academy's water supply or destroys the fountain. They
(area llb), "Vacant" (area Uc), "Cephalossk" (area 1ld),
otherwise pay visitors no mind.
"Etan" (area 11e), and "Nylas" (area llf).
5. PORTRAIT OF A MAD MAGE
This room is empty except for an enormous red velvet
The door to this room is slightly ajar. Peering out from
curtain that covers the north wall. A pull-rope on one
within is Cephalossk, the mind flayer arcanist. It has
side of the curtain allows it to be drawn back. Behind
been too long since the mind flayer has fed on a fresh
the curtain hangs a large abstract painting that depicts
brain, but it's willing to forgo attacking the characters if
Halaster surrounded by fields of bloody mouths and peo- they promise to help it feed on Spite's mind instead (see
ple feasting on each other. Worked into the background
"Cephalossk the Mind Flayer," page 118).
are various other bizarre figures from beyond the Mate-
This workroom is filled with tables, braziers, and an
rial Plane. Halaster's face is chillingly calm despite the
assortment of alchemical equipment.
violent chaos around him, and his piercing gaze seems
to follow anyone who views the portrait.
LEVEL 9 I DWEOM e:RCORE