Page 127 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

The first time the adventurers defeat a particular an- • "Offspring if host is spellcaster" is written next to the
imated archmage statue, they receive XP for it as with green slaad.
any creature defeated in combat. Subsequent victories
against that statue don't provide more XP, however. SLAAD TADPOLE
Wormriddle the night hag prepared a special demon-
TREASURE stration for students by implanting a captured quaggoth
Turbulence carries a soot-stained spellbook containing with a red slaad egg pellet. Unfortunately for her, the
all the spells she has prepared, plus the following: alter slaad tadpole has hatched sooner than expected. The
self, cloud of daggers, hypnotic pattern, and wall of fire. night hag hasn't checked on her subject recently and
doesn't know the tadpole is loose. The tadpole attacks
18. lLLUSORYWALLS the first humanoid that approaches within 5 feet of it.
Left alone, the tadpole grows into a blue slaad after
This 10-foot-high hallway is closed off to the west and
east by illusory walls. A detect magic spell reveals that ld12 hours. Characters who enroll in the academy
the walls are illusions without substance, and creatures might be tasked with eradicating it for Worm riddle.
and objects can pass right through them. An illusory
wall can be removed with a successful dispel magic
spell (DC 14). These classrooms offer a more intimate learning envi-
ronment than the lecture hall.
19. GHOSTLY ADVENTURER
21A. NORTH CLASSROOM
Apparition. At the east end of this hall, the faint appa-
rition of a human adventurer appears to be painstak- Chalkboard. A blank chalkboard mounted on the west
wall has a narrow stone shelf under it for catching
ingly searching the walls for secret doors.
Walls. The walls bear mosaics that have been chipped chalk dust. Niches under the chalkboard hold brushes
away and damaged beyond recognition or repair. The and sticks of colored chalk.
wall to the west is illusory (see area 18). Desks. Facing the chalkboard are twelve desks, in three
Trophy Case. Between the doors leading to area 20 rows of four. Each desk has cast-iron legs, a sculpted
copper seat, and a wooden writing surface gouged
stands an empty wooden trophy case.
with graffiti in various languages.
The apparition is a regional effect created by the Mad Hooks. The back wall has a row of stone hooks for
Mage (see "Halaster's Lair," page 311). It resembles a
hanging cloaks.
young human woman, dressed in well-worn adventur-
er's clothes. It can't be harmed, and it doesn't acknowl- 21B. SOUTH CLASSROOM
edge creatures or objects in any way. This room is identical to area 2lb, except that someone
has hastily scrawled the following words on the chalk-
20. LECTURE HALL board in Common: "Wizards of Yore class canceled. Re-
This sloped lecture hall has a 15-foot-high ceiling and search Ahghairon circa 1071 DR. Expect a quiz!"
the following features: Any character who succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence
(History) check recalls that 1071 DR, the Year of Lion's
Light. Stone sconces protruding from the walls have
Roars, was the year in which the archmage Ahghairon,
continual flame spells cast on them. first Lord ofWaterdeep, created magic wards to protect
Benches. The northern half of the room contains raised his city against marauding dragons.
stone benches for students.
Dais. To the south, a large chalkboard is mounted above 22. POTION BREWERY
a 5-foot-high stone dais. Drawn on the chalkboard are
three frog-like bipeds with wide, toothy smiles. They Odor. This chamber reeks of chemical admixtures.
are arranged in a triangular formation; the top one Furnishings. Arranged in the northern half of the room
is drawn in red chalk, the bottom left in blue, and the are a dozen fat stone cauldrons and cupboards full of
bottom right in green. ingredients in jars.
Gurneys. Two stone gurneys are parked in the room. Stone Basin. The southern half of the room is taken
up by a 20-foot-wide, 5-foot-deep, bowl-shaped stone
Strapped to one table is the corpse of a quaggoth, its
chest burst open and entrails consumed. The other basin enclosed by a 3-foot-high retaining wall. Filling
table, draped in a floor-length black sheet, has a slaad the basin is a toxic brew containing two poison weirds
tadpole hidden under it (see "Slaad Tadpole" below). (see "Toxic Brew" below).
Any character who studies the chalkboard drawings The cauldrons are used by students for brewing po-
and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check tions. A valve at the base of each cauldron opens a nat-
recognizes them as a red, blue, and green slaad. Yellow ural gas vent underneath it, and a flint pedal ignites the
chalk arrows point from the red slaad to the other two. gas to heat the cauldron.
Next to each slaad are words written in Abyssal. Any The cupboards contain nearly five hundred jars of in-
character who reads Abyssal can translate the words: gredients used to brew common and uncommon magic
potions, as well as other alchemical concoctions. Each
• "Parent" is written next to the red slaad. jar is labeled in Abyssal. The ingredients are inert and
• "Offspring of parent and host" is written next to the not particularly valuable on their own.
blue slaad.

LEVEL 9 I DWEOM ERCORE