Page 97 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

seen the creature, suspect that the characters might be The lonely homunculus longs to be reunited with its
responsible. To earn the giants' trust, characters must creator. It also wants to rid Maddgoth's castle of the
determine the cause of the mischief and put an end to it. faerie dragon that has invaded it. The characters can
Even if they succeed, however, their efforts are soon for- impress the homunculus and earn its trust by killing the
gotten as Halaster's magic erodes the giants' memories. faerie dragon or scaring it away for good. The homun-
The oldest stone giants, Gravillok and Speleosa, are culus can't leave the castle, by order of its master. If it
mates. They have four adult children: two sons, Qurrok takes damage that would normally destroy it, it forms
and Rhodos, and two daughters, Obsidia and Xorta. anew in Maddgoth's study (area 25a). Only the wizard's
death can destroy the homunculus for good.
OTTO THE FAERIE DRAGON
MODIFIED STATISTICS
A violet faerie dragon named Otto was drawn here by
Inside the castle, the homunculus is 12 feet tall relative
the magic that Halaster wove into these caves. Upon to its surroundings, because its size is not altered by the
discovering Maddgoth's castle, Otto decided to move in. castle's shrinking magic. It has a challenge rating of 2
The faerie dragon was unaffected by the castle's shrink-
(450 XP) and the following statistical changes:
ing magic and settled comfortably into its new home. It
feeds on bats and other vermin it finds in the surround- • The homunculus is Large and has 55 (lOdlO)
ing cavern. hit points.
When it's bored, the faerie dragon sneaks out invisibly • It has a Strength score of 15 (+2), and its bite attack
and uses its spells to make illusory modifications to the deals 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage on a hit.
stone giants' caves, confounding the giants for its own • It understands Abyssal, Common, Draconic, and
amusement. The giants have no clue who or what is re- Gnomish, but can't speak.
sponsible for this magical mischief. If the homunculus is forcibly taken from the castle,
The faerie dragon would like to get rid of Maddgoth's its relative size reverts to Tiny, and its statistics become
homunculus, which has become a troublesome re- those of a normal homunculus. Whenever the crea-
minder of the castle's true owner. Otto has defeated the ture's relative size decreases, any hit points beyond its
homunculus in physical combat more than once, but it new hit point maximum are lost. Whenever its relative
keeps coming back. The dragon has concluded that the size increases, any damage that it has taken remains
only way to get rid of the homunculus for good is to forc- and is subtracted from its new hit point maximum.
ibly remove it from the castle and trap it elsewhere. If
the characters do this for the faerie dragon, Otto allows THE CAVERNS
them to use the castle for rest and relaxation- provided
they don't overstay their welcome or loot the joint. Umber hulks bored the tunnels that connect this level of
Undermountain to the levels above and below. The stone
MODIFIED STATISTICS giants don't like the damage that the umber hulks cause
While inside the castle, the faerie dragon is 12 feet and scare them off as best they can.
long relative to its surroundings, because its size is Unless otherwise noted, all chambers on this level
not altered by the castle's shrinking magic. It has a are rough-hewn (not naturally formed) and have 30-foot-
challenge rating of 3 (700 XP) and the following statisti- high ceilings. Wider passages are 20 feet tall-ideal for
cal changes: the 18-foot-tall stone giants that dwell here. Narrower
tunnels are 5 feet wide and 8 feet tall- too small for the
• Otto is Large and has 104 (16d10 + 16) hit points.
giants to fit inside. All caves and tunnels are unlit, since
• It has a Strength score of 18 (+4), and its bite attack
the giants rely on darkvision to see.
deals 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage on a hit.
Otto turns invisible and flees if reduced to half its 1. UMBER SHELLS
hit points or fewer. It tries to find a hiding place in the
Umber hulks are fond of gathering here, and the cave
castle but abandons the structure if it must. When en-
floor is littered with their molted carapaces.
countered outside the castle, Otto has the size and sta-
tistics of a normal violet faerie dragon. Whenever Otto's 2. EMPTY CAVERN
relative size decreases, any hit points beyond its new hit
point maximum are lost. Whenever Otto's relative size The stone giants seldom visit this cavern, which con-
increases, any damage that Otto has taken remains and tains nothing of interest.
is subtracted from its new hit point maximum.
3. STONE THRONE
MADDGOTH'S HOMUNCULUS Throne. To the south, a large protuberance of jagged
Maddgoth's homunculus awaits its master's return. The rock has been carved into the form of a giant-sized
fact that it hasn't perished suggests that Maddgoth is throne. Blue quartz crystals grow out of the rock.
still alive, but their telepathic bond has been severed, Warning Sign. A large X has been carved on the floor of
indicating that the two are no longer on the same plane the passage leading to area 4.
of existence. Whether this separation is of Maddgoth's
TREASURE
choosing is unknown. The wizard could be sequestered
Sixty pieces of blue quartz can be broken off the throne.
in a demiplane, imprisoned in a mirror of life trapping,
Each piece is worth 10 gp.
or touring the Abyss, for all anyone knows.
LEVEL 7 I MAODCOTH:'S CASTLE