Page 8 - Tomb of Annihilation

the Soulmonger gains the power to draw characters Time pressure aside, Chult is a land ripe with adven-
who are close to death, and the following rule applies: ture possibilities, and characters might be drawn by cu-
riosity or circumstance to locations such as the garden
• A death saving throw succeeds on a roll of 15 or
ruin of Nan galore, the dwarven forge of Hrakhamar, or
higher (instead of 10 or higher). This effect ends when
the pirate haven ofjahaka Anchorage. Such locations
the Soulmonger is destroyed. Other rules concerning
present dangers that, when overcome, prepare the char-
death saving throws remain unchanged.
acters for greater threats awaiting them in Omu. If the
characters reach Omu too soon, they probably won't be
SOUL DEVOURING
The soul of any humanoid that dies while the death high enough level to survive there for Jong. When the
curse is active becomes trapped inside the Soulmonger. characters make inquiries about Omu, paint the lost city
The soul remains there until it is consumed by the atro- as a terrifying place so that players feel the tension of
pal or the Soulmonger is destroyed. wanting to get there quickly, but not too quickiy.
Once a soul becomes trapped in the SouJmonger, it's
only a matter of time before the atropal devours it. You CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
~~~~~~~~~~
can determine the status of a trapped soul at dawn on Characters begin the adventure at 1st level and gain XP
any given day by secretly rolling a d20. On a roll of 2 or by defeating monsters. After each game session, add
higher, the soul remains trapped in the Soulmonger, at up all the XP earned and distribute it evenly among the
least until the next dawn. A roll of 1 indicates that the party members. If the characters gain enough XP to
soul was devoured by the atropal. A creature whose soul advance a level, encourage your players to level up their
is devoured in this horrific manner can't be returned to characters before the next session. Ideally, the charac-
life by any means, including divine intervention. ters should fall within the desired level range for each
If the Soulmonger is destroyed and you haven't been chapter of the adventure, as shown in the Suggested
tracking the status of a particular soul trapped within, Character Levels table.
grab a handful of d20s- one die for each day the soul
was trapped- and roll them together. If you roll a 1 on SUGGESTED CHARACTER LEVELS
any of the dice, the sou I was devoured before it could Chapter Suggested Level
be set free. 1. Port Nyanzaru 1st and higher
Spells such as commune and divination can be used to
determine whether a soul has been devoured or whether 2. Land of Chu It 1st-6th
it's still trapped in the Soulmonger. 3. Dwellers of the Forbidden City 5th-8th
How many souls must the atropal devour to become 4. Fane of the Night Serpent 7th- 9th
a god? It could be thousands or millions. Ultimately it's 5. Tomb of the Nine Gods 9th and higher
the DM's call, but the default assumption is that this
apotheosis could take months or years. You can slow the rate of advancement by withholding
XP, "banking" it until you're ready for the party to level
REPLACEMENT CHARACTERS up. Conversely, you can hasten level advancement by
The death curse means that, for the most part, dead awarding ad hoc XP for making discoveries, completing
characters stay dead. If a character dies and there's no goals, roleplaying well, and surviving or avoiding deadly
reasonable way for the player to continue playing that traps. Arly such ad hoc award should be no more than
character, you can have the player create a new charac- what the characters would earn for defeating a monster
ter. A replacement character should be the same level as with a challenge rating equal to their level. For example,
the rest of the party. a fair ad hoc award for a party of 2nd-level adventurers
Chult attracts adventurers from all over the world, would be 450 XP, which is what the characters would
and the activation of the Soulmonger draws even more earn for defeating a challenge rating 2 monster. As with
adventurers than usual to its untamed wilderness. The other XP awards, the amount should be divided evenly
player characters are among the earliest to arrive, but among all party members.
adventurers from across the globe begin to converge As the DM, you can dispense with XP tracking and al-
in Chult as the crisis mounts. It should not be difficult low characters to gain levels at whatever pace suits your
to introduce new characters to replace those who have campaign, using the Suggested Character Levels table
perished. A new character might be the last surviving as your guide.
member of a doomed expedition, a guide who has lived Chult is loaded with fun distractions, alluring loca-
in Chult for years, a lone explorer seeking glory or trea- tions, and opportunities for characters to explore. Con-
sure, or someone racing against time to save a loved sequently, it can be hard to gauge what level the char-
one affected by the death curse. Work with the player acters will be when they arrive at adventure locations.
to come up with a story that makes sense, given the Again, let the Suggested Character Levels table guide
circumstances. you. For example, if the characters are 4th level and
about to stumble into Omu (chapter 3), you might want
TICKING CLOCK to steer them in a different direction, throw random en-
Tomb of Annihilation is a time-bomb adventure. In other counters at them until they've reached 5th level, advance
words, time is of the essence. The characters are under them to 5th level automatically, or adjust encounters in
pressure to find and destroy the Soulmonger quickly, Omu to make the threats easier to overcome.
since many lives depend on it.

INTRODUCTlON
7