Page 195 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

level, joining the magma mephits that dwell there. Neth- HALASTER S PLAY-BY-PLAY
1
erskull terrorizes the lava children and magma mephits Whenever a creature makes an attack roll, takes damage,
from time to time, but not enough to force them to leave or performs a death-defying stunt in the Obstacle Course,
the warmth of the chasm. The evil mephits trick or goad Halaster's disembodied voice magically chimes in with
the lava children into attacking all other creatures that play-by-play commentary. The effect can't be dispelled, and
blunder into their territory. its exact point of origin can't be ascertained. The play-by·
play can be silenced for good by destroying the source in
T RAPS area 30b or by defeating the death tyrant Netherskull.
Improvise the play-by-play as you see fit. The commen·
The Obstacle Course is replete with mechanical and tary tends to be sarcastic, biting, and demoralizing. A few
magical traps. Two recurring types are described below. examples of what the disembodied voice might say are
provided below:
COVERED PITS
When a character misses with a melee attack roll: "Swing
Melairkyn dwarves built these pits, and Halaster keeps and a miss!"
them in working order.
When a character misses with a ranged attack roll:
A 10-foot-square slab of 2-inch-thick stone covers each
"Missed that one by a mile!"
pit. Each cover is carved to resemble the floor surround-
When a character takes damage: "Ouch, that'll
ing the pit. A character who has a passive Wisdom (Per- leave a mark!"
ception) score of 17 or higher recognizes the trapped When the characters kill a monster: "Score one for the
section of floor as the cover of a pit. A character can also underdogs!"
search the floor for traps, detecting the pit with a suc- When the party cleric drops to 0 hit points: "The cleric is
cessful DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check. Once a pit is down! Stick a fork in it- this party's done!"
detected, an iron spike or similar object can be wedged
between the pit's cover and the surrounding floor to pre- Splitting the Party. Teleport traps are designed to
vent the cover from opening. The cover can also be held split the party- a situation that can challenge any DM.
in place using an arcane Jock spell or similar magic.
To ensure that every member of a split party gets atten-
When a weight of 25 pounds or more is placed on the tion, think of yourself as a film editor cutting scenes in
cover, it swings downward (as long as it hasn't been pre- a movie. Jump from one group of characters to the next
vented from opening) and remains open until Halaster
while spending no more than a few minutes with any
happens by and decides to close it. Any creature or
given group or individual. Tense moments are great
object on the cover when it swings open falls into the pit
times to "cut" from one group to another-don't be
below. The pit's depth and other hazards vary by loca-
afraid to leave them hanging!
tion, as described in the location's description. Regard-
less of a pit's depth, its walls are too smooth for charac- EXPLORING THIS L EVEL
ters to climb without the aid of climbing gear, magic, or
the Spider Climb trait (or a similar ability). The following encounter locations are keyed to map 15.
The most distinguishing feature of the level is a gaping
TELEPORT TRAPS chasm that borders several dungeon corridors and
Teleport traps are at the locations marked T on the chambers (see area 40 for details).
map. A teleport trap is a magical effect usually cast on a The Obstacle Course is mostly devoid of furnishings,
10-foot-square section of floor, set to trigger whenever a since the level was designed explicitly to dispose of in-
creature enters the trap's space. The trap extends all the truders in an efficient yet entertaining manner.
way to the ceiling of the space that contains it.
A teleport trap is invisible to the senses, and a perma- 1. ON YouR MARK! GET SET! Go !
nent Nystul's magic aura spell prevents divination spells
A broad set of stairs descend to a large chamber with
such as detect magic from revealing the trap's presence.
the following features:
A successful dispel magic spell (DC 18) cast on the
trapped section of floor destroys the trap. Pillars. Four stone pillars support a 35-foot-high,
A creature that enters the trap's space is teleported vaulted ceiling strung with cobwebs. When one or
along with any objects it is wearing or carrying to an- more humanoids approach within 30 feet of the north-
other teleport trap (or the nearest unoccupied space). east pillar, a magic mouth spell activates, forming a
There is no saving throw to resist the teleportation ef- stone mouth on the pillar.
fect, and the destination varies from trap to trap. Once a Statues. Tunnel exits to the north and south are flanked
creature has been teleported in this way, it is unaffected by 12-foot-tall stone statues of Halaster Blackcloak,
by teleport traps on this level for 1 hour. depicted as a bearded, scowling old wizard wearing
When a creature is teleported by a trap, Halaster's a robe covered with lidless eyes and clutching a stout
booming voice shouts "Teleported!" in Common. The scepter with a red dragon's head at each end.
magical voice originates at the point of departure and Mine Carts. Two mine carts made of corroded iron
the point of arrival, and it is audible in both locations out stand near a tunnel exit in the east wall.
to a range of 100 feet.
HALASTER STATUES
Some teleport traps have additional effects, as de-
These statues can't be moved, knocked over, or dam-
scribed in their encounter locations.
aged in any way. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of
transmutation magic around each one.
LEVEL 15 I OBSTACLE COURSE