Page 63 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

of 20 or higher, the character finds the back-and-forth Potion of Comprehension. When you drink this po-
tracks of several bugbears, a troll, and a hook horror. tion, you gain the effect of a comprehend languages spell
Characters who have darkvision or light sources for 1 hour. This liquid is a clear concoction with bits of
bright enough to illuminate the ceiling can avoid piercer salt and soot swirling in it.
drops by steering clear of the stalactite formations, Potion of Watchful Rest. When you drink this potion,
and attempts to do so are automatically successful. If you gain the following benefits for the next 8 hours:
no such attempts are made, a single piercer drops on magic can't put you to sleep, and you can remain awake
the first light-carrying creature to cross the cavern. during a long rest and still gain its benefits. This sweet,
Whether it hits or misses, this piercer can't attack again amber-colored brew has no effect on creatures that don't
until it makes the long, slow climb back to the cavern require sleep, such as elves.
ceiling. After the first piercer drops, avoiding the cav-
ern's stalactite formations becomes a simple matter. 5. CAVE OF CRYSTALS
Xorn. Three xorn feast on crystals near the western
4. THE ALCHEMIST
edge of the cavern, while harmless bats flutter below
In this cavern, a green slaad posing as a human alche- the 30-foot-high ceiling.
mist makes its home. Its lair has the following features: Difficult Terrain. A thick mix of mud and bat guano cov-
ers the ground. Treat this area as difficult terrain.
Gourds. The walls are set with shelves at various
heights. They hold numerous gourds, most of which The xorn protect their crystalline food source. If a
contain failed alchemical elixirs. xorn loses more than half its hit points, it disengages
Stone Block. A rough-hewn block of stone in the middle from combat on its next turn and sinks into the floor,
of the cave serves as a table. It is covered with a set of never to return.
alchemist's supplies.
TREASURE
Almost a year ago, the green slaad was drawn to
Once the xorn are defeated, the characters can retrieve
Undermountain, deprived of its control gem, and set forty fist-sized crystals worth 10 gp each.
loose by Halaster. It has explored several levels of the
dungeon in its quest to find the gem. For now, it has
6. TANGLED ROPES
adopted the guise of a scatterbrained, shabbily dressed
young man who has, for reasons he would rather not Ropers. This 30-foot-high cave holds a forest of stalag-
divulge, set up an alchemist's lab in this cave. The slaad mites, some of which are broken. Two ropers lurk
among them and ambush anyone who happens by.
refers to itself only as "the Alchemist" and claims to
Uneven Floor. The uneven floor is strewn with bits of
have been kidnapped by Halaster from someplace it
can't remember. chewed-up armor and bone, as well as the occasional
The Alchemist bargains with creatures for materials copper piece or silver piece.
it needs, trading potions for fungi and equipment. What
it's really looking for is its control gem, which it senses TREASURE
is close by (see area 21a). It doesn't want help finding the Each roper has ld4 gemstones (100 gp each) lodged
in its gizzard, which characters can cut open once the
gem, though, for fear that the treasure might fall into the
roper is dead. They can also gather up a total of 32 cp
hands of those who try to control the slaad. If the char-
and 11 sp scattered across the floor.
acters obtain the gem and return it to the Alchemist, it
cheers, turns invisible, and flees with the gem. 7. MAD WIZARD'S RETREAT
If the characters seem interested in knowing more
about the Twisted Caverns, the slaad warns them about A human wizard, the lone survivor of an expedition to
the ropers in area 6. Also, it has struck up a friendship the Underdark, has taken refuge in this 30-foot-high
with the "two-headed giant" in area 2 and urges the cave. The cave contains the following:
characters to speak with it, since it has lived on this
Light. Phosphorescent moss growing in patches on the
level for a long time.
walls dimly lights the entire cave.
Fungi. Gardens of barrelstalk, ripplebark, timmask, and
POTIONS FOR SALE
tongue of madness grow throughout.
The Alchemist is happy to trade potions for supplies. For
Mage. Near the north wall, a slight woman wearing
one potion, it demands 20 pounds of edible fungi and
tattered gray robes over black pants sits on a 2-foot-
five tongues of madness (which characters can harvest
tall toadstool. Her long black hair is tied back with a
from the surrounding caves), plus 50 gp worth of adven- swatch of gray cloth that matches her robe. A quasit in
turing gear. The Alchemist has no use for coins, gem- toad form sits on her knee.
stones, art objects, or magic items. Each time the char-
acters pay the Alchemist a visit, it has one of each of the DARRIBETH MELTIMER
potions described below available to trade. Each potion The woman is Darribeth Meltimer (CG female Chon-
is a common magic item. It keeps these potions on its dathan human mage, with the darkvision spell cast on
person, and a sneaky character can try to pilfer one with herself and prepared instead of suggestion). A former ad-
a successful Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested venturer, she was driven insane by contact with demons
by the slaad's Wisdom (Perception) check.
in the Underdark. A greater restoration spell or similar
magic is needed to restore her sanity, without which

LEVEL 4- I TWTSTED CAVERNS