Page 176 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

control module, is a 5-foot-diameter pulsating crystal The scaladar hunt as a trio and have orders from Zox
hemisphere with AC 10, 25 hit points, and immunity to kill any humanoids they see. Ideally, the characters
to poison and psychic damage. Destroying the crystal should encounter the scaladar after they have had time
hemisphere shuts down Shockerstomper. to inspect the hobgoblin corpses.
Lightning Turret. A character can try to plug the nozzle The hobgoblins were sent to find and kill Zox but fell
of a lightning turret with a 10-pound rock or similar prey to the scaladar. A character who examines the
object, doing so with a successful DC 15 Strength corpses and succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine)
(Athletics) check. A plugged turret can't shoot light- check can ascertain that the hobgoblins have been
ning until a creature uses an action to try to clear the dead for about a tenday. Half of them were torn apart by
obstruction, which requires another successful DC 15 sharp claws, and the rest died from deep, charred punc-
Strength (Athletics) check. Shockerstomper has no ture wounds.
ability to clear an obstruction itself.
7. CLAMMERSHAM PALACE
~~~~~~~~~~~
5. SCRAP METAL WARREN
Ceiling. This cavern has a 90-foot-high ceiling.
A 40-foot-high mountain of scrap metal has 10-foot-di- Palace. Atop a 20-foot-high plateau of twisted scrap
ameter tunnels winding through it. The scrap metal pile metal rises a rambling palace made of jagged metal
spills into area 2, dominates the cavern north of it, and plates welded together. Circular iron doors are
completely fills the opening between the two caverns. recessed in the walls.
The outer surface of the scrap pile is difficult terrain. Scrap Pile. The slopes of the scrap pile are strewn with
In addition, any creature that tries to climb or walk the mutilated corpses of several rust monsters.
across the jagged heap of metal must succeed on a DC
15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to avoid triggering a PALACE FEATURES
small avalanche that causes it to fall prone and take 7 The structural features of the palace are summa-
(2d6) piercing damage. rized here.
The entrances to the warren are marked with arrows Ceilings. The ceilings throughout the palace are 20
on map 13. The warren contains the following: feet high.
Doors. The palace is sealed off by 7-foot-diameter
Rust Monsters. A rust monster gorges on scrap metal
circular doors, each one made of riveted iron plates and
in each of the squares marked R on the map.
fitted with iron handles, iron hinges, and a sturdy iron
Central Chamber. In the heart of the warren is a
lock. Each lock is molded to look like a smiling gnome's
30-foot-wide, 40-foot-long, 10-foot-high chamber con-
face missing its nose. Zox carries a stubby iron key with
taining four dead hobgoblins. Ten lava children (see a head shaped like a tiny bulbous nose that unlocks all
appendix A) hide in the walls and emerge to attack nine doors. Zox fashioned a spare key but lost it during
anyone who enters the room.
a recent Undermountain foray (see level 12, area 14).
The rust monsters tend to ignore other creatures that A character can try to pick a door's lock using thieves'
maintain a respectful distance. If a character wearing tools, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check.
metal armor or carrying a metal shield walks within 5 A knock spell or similar magic also works. A door can
feet of a rust monster, there's a 30 percent chance that be forced open with a successful DC 30 Strength (Ath-
the creature attacks the character with the intention of letics) check. It can also be destroyed. Each door has AC
devouring the armor or shield. 19, 40 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, and immu-
The lava children walk through the scrap metal as nity to poison and psychic damage.
though it doesn't exist. They regard Zox as a trusted Zox has cast a glyph of warding spell on every door.
friend and, at his request, attack creatures that enter the Each glyph is inscribed on the inside of the door so that
central chamber. The lava children pursue fleeing crea- it can't be detected by anyone outside the palace. The
tures as far as the warren entrances before disappear- glyph triggers when the door is opened by any means
ing back into the scrap metal. While they are hidden in other than using the proper key. When triggered, the
the metal walls, the lava children have total cover. glyph erupts with magical energy in a 20-foot-radius
The hobgoblins were sent to find and kill Zox Clam- sphere centered on it. Each creature in the area must
mersham but fell prey to the lava children. A character make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 31 (7d8)
who examines the corpses and succeeds on a DC 10 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much dam-
Wisdom (Medicine) check ascertains that the hobgob- age on a successful one. The sound of a triggered glyph
lins were killed two days ago. A search of the hobgoblin is audible throughout the cavern and the palace. Alerted
corpses reveals that one has a charcoal sketch of Zox to the presence of intruders, Zox awaits them in area 7c.
Clammersham on a crumpled-up sheet of parchment. Illumination. The palace interior is dark. Zox relies
on his darkvision to see.
6. BACK TuNNEL Walls. The walls of the palace are 10 feet thick and
made out of loose scrap piled between inner and outer
Corpses. Lying against the walls of this 20-foot-high
tunnel are the mutilated corpses of ten hobgoblins. bulwarks of welded metal. The fortress has no win-
dows, but close examination reveals gaps in the walls
Scaladar. Three scaladar (see appendix A) patrol
that a Tiny creature or a creature in gaseous form
the tunnel.
can navigate.

LEVEL 13 I TROBRIAND' S GRAVEYARD
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