Demon God's Fane - 5e Conversion

Demon God's Fane is another old Monte Cook adventure that I am going to convert to 5th edition as part of my upcoming campaign. This adventure was made for 3rd edition D&D, published as a third party product.

The group has just learned about the lifebane, an intangible, sentient force of chaos and evil spewing from somewhere (the labyrinth of madness, they'll learn). 

The Umbral Taint: This adventure has a concept very similar to the lifebane. It's called the umbral taint, and it is coming from a dungeon linked to a forgotten demon lord named Ochremeshk. This dungeon is built inside a massive statue that is submerged in a lake. 

For my campaign, I'm going to basically combine the lifebane and the umbral taint. I'll say that the lifebane spewing forth from the labyrinth has weakened the demon god's fane enough so that the umbral taint seeped out into the surrounding area.

The map for this place is a bit different than most. Because it's built vertically, there's not a lot of connecting hallways. It's a bit like Baba Yaga's hut in that every room is basically it's own thing. I feel like I might get confused remembering what stairwell connects to what room.

Golden Lake: This town is in a remote area. The citizens do a lot of fishing in the actual lake. They are unaware that the Demon God's Fane is submerged in the lake.

History

• Long ago, this area was home to a cult of Ochremeshk.
• This region was once known as the Vale of Fears, a place where the sun ceased to shine.
• The cult was once led by a lich named Sussint-ir. She was overthrown by a half-demon named Lytaros Fel. A balor named Charmachnar ruled the cult somewhere in there, too.
  
• Enchelious: A cleric of good, led a small army against the cult. Three miracles helped him overcome the cult. His goddess, Umbra, brought down rain and filled the vale of fears. 
• The cult has been magically trapped inside the fane ever since. But now the magic is weakening.
  

Current Events

• Drought: A drought has lowered the lake and revealed the top of the statue. 
• The umbral taint, a demonic essence similar to a virus, has seeped out.
• The taint corrupts people, turning them evil.
• To those who can see it, the taint looks like a large demonic insect attached to the upper back of the corrupted.
• Inside the fane, Lytaros Fel wants to use a ritual to go back in time and kill Enchelious. 

Adventure Summary

• The heroes investigate murders in Golden Lake (the killer has been corrupted by the Umbral Taint).
• The Graven Ones, a band of powerful heroes, are fighting one another due to the corruption of the umbral taint.
• By saving the Graven Ones, the heroes can learn about the history and realize that they need to go into the fane to eliminate the umbral taint.
• Inside the fane, the heroes will need to access the fane's heart. They'll have to step into three magic pentagrams and partake in sacraments in order to access the fane's heart.
  
• The heroes will probably go back in time to prevent the assassination attempt on the life of Enchelious.

Darkness Comes to Golden Lake

The Umbral Taint: Spreads like a contagious disease through prolonged contact.

• The host falls under its chaotic evil control. 
• It gives the victim spell powers.
• If you have true sight, you can see the taint - An insectoid shadow creature attached to the victim's upper back.
• Immune: Those who are immune to disease can't be affected by the umbral taint.
• Cure: A banishment spell rids a creature of the umbral taint.  

The Village of Golden Lake

Population: 423 Ruler: Reeve Dallen Styne. 

• The Lake: 1 mile wide, 6 miles long. 300-400 feet deep.
  
• Taggert's Taphouse: Taggert is a dwarf who secretly fears water. Decor: fishnets, harpoons, oars.
• Boarding House: 1 sp per night. Run by Nesther Mench, who likes to hear gossip. Food: fish, venison, turkey, spiced tea.
• The Pier: Where boats are moored. Shackhouses, nets.
• Fish Oil House: Where 12 people extract fish oil and put it into small kegs.
• Kraun's Store: General Storn. Kraun is a tall, thin man who squints.
• Red's Smithy: Red Ginter is the blacksmith. Has two sons. He's got a big bushy beard.
• Tannery: Here, Lasel Philis sells leather goods. She is a young woman with white hair.
• Church: One room chapel. Run by Greddan Silvos, a 3rd level cleric. He's an emotional fellow.

Investigation

This adventure starts out with a search for a killer. I'm going to skip all this stuff. 

My Campaign: My group will have met the Graven Ones back in the first adventure (A Question of Ethics). The Graven Ones have an interest in buying some shiftspice. The heroes land their ship in the lake, and will need to get some carts to bring their crates to the home of the Graven Ones.

Graven Ones

A group of 12 spellcasters who live in a place called Sigil Hearth, which is 6 miles from Golden Lake. It is a dark stone keep.

They sell potions, scrolls, and magic tattoos!

Erepoth: Their leader. Elderly half-elf in gray robes. Runes cover his flesh.

When the heroes arrive, Tyrestina is attacking her allies. She's been corrupted by the umbral taint. Her pet grey render (a Monte Cook favorite) is fighting at her side. This encounter is "hard" for lvl 14 characters 0- they're facing a CR 12 and a CR 9.

Gray Render: Mordenkainen's pg 209 Let's say that the Graven Ones have given him a Barrier Tattoo (Tasha's pg 122) which gives it an AC of 18.

Tyrestina: Evoker, Volo's pg 214 (She's got stoneskin going, so she has resistance to non-magic attacks, and she can sculpt spells around her gray render buddy) She also has a Lifewell Tattoo (Tasha's pg 129) Which means she has resistance to necrotic and when she is reduced to 0 HP, she drops to 1 HP instead.

The heroes will have met and possibly befriended Tyrestina in an adventure previous to this one. They can cure her with a banishment spell.

Once the conflict is dealt with, the Graven Ones can share some information with the group, detailing the origin of the fane. They'll ask the heroes to go in there and take care of it.

Finding the Fane

As the heroes prepare to go out on the lake and find the top of the fane, it turns out that 2 hezrous have escaped. These creatures are a "medium" encounter for a 14th lvl group:

• 2 Hezrous: Monster Manual pg 60
  

Into the Fane: The hatch on the top is arcane locked (PH pg 215). It can be bypassed with a password (the hezrous know it).

Walls: 2 feet thick, not harmed by disintegrate spells

Doors: Stone, carved with scenes of mayhem

Light: Dim, red, flickering continual flames

Demon Skull Fonts: Many rooms in the fane have a demon skull font, which issues forth dark blood from its mouth and eyes.These fonts have special properties:

• Drink: Fiends/undead regain 4d8+7 HP. Other creatures take 25 psychic dmg. Drinker also receives telepathic information from anyone who bleeds into a font. 
• Each font contains d4+1 draughts.
• Using Holy Water on a Font: Causes a font to cease to function.

Scrying: Blocked.

Ethereal Alarm: Anyone who passes through a wall/floor/ceiling triggers a magical silent alarm that alerts Distania the succubus (MM pg 285). She becomes ethereal and tracks down the intruder, possibly charming them. 

Flooding the Fane: The Fane cannot be flooded. It magically keeps the lake water out. If you become wet in the fane, it evaporates almost immediately.

If the fane's heart is destroyed or disabled, the fane can be flooded as normal.

The Pentagrams

In this dungeon, the group will come upon three pentagrams in 3 separate rooms. Each pentagram has a different word inscribed in it. Stepping in to a pentagram takes you to an Abyssal realm where you must take a "sacrament" of Ochremeshk:

• Room 5 - The Iron Chimera - "Eat" (Eat a red wafer that makes non-evil sick)
  
• Room 13 - Hilt Sphere - "Breathe" (Inhale incense, makes you smarter, but weaker later)
  
• Room 22 - Mistresses of the Night -  "Burn" (put your hand in black fire)
  

Once you have taken all three sacraments, you can go to room 26 and touch the smoke there. A magical doorway forms, opening to room 28.

Areas of the Fane

On Top of the Fane: Hatch/Plug: 2 feet diameter, arcane locked (PH pg 215). If the plug is somehow destroyed, it magically re-forms 10 minutes later.

1. The Smiling Demon: Complicated room! Here's the deal:

1. You stick pins in the statue. 
2. Statue opens its mouth, revealing a key. 
3. Use the key on the invisible sphere flying around the room. 
4. This causes a hole to open in the floor that leads to room 2.

Statue: Man with yellow eyes (has soft parts on its chest)

• Onyx Box: At the feet of the statue. In the box are needles.
• Leather: The statue is wrapped in black leather.

Demonskull Font: Details above.

Invisible Sphere: 6 inches across. Floats about the room. 

• It can lift up to 300 pounds.
• Pick Lock: DC 25. Once unlocked, a 10 ft. square hole appears in the floor, leads to room 2.

2. Chamber of Hooks: Walls covered in hooks, floor is a mazelike pattern.

Two Doors: Both arcane locked (PH pg 215). 

• Open: Pour two pints of liquid into floor.

Search Room: Find peepholes, find secret lever in a hook.

Going back to Room 1: Hidden in a hook is a gem-studded lever that will open the hole in the ceiling.

3. Guard Room: Iron table, corpse of a man who killed self.

• Demonskull Font

Door: Locked. DC 25. The key to it is lost.

4. Armory: On the table are weapons made from red metal. 

5. The Iron Chimera:

Moving in the Room: If you move more than half your speed in a turn, you must make a DC 15 acrobatics check or be scraped by a hook, taking 5 piercing damage and fall prone.

I based the chimera on an iron golem, which is a CR 16, "medium" difficulty encounter for the group.

Iron Chimera: AC 20 HP 210 Spd 30, fly 60
STR 24 DEX 11 CON 20 INT 3 WIS 14 CHA 1
Darkvision 60 ft.

Damage Immunities: Fire, Poison, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Adamantine

Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned

• Fire Absorption: Whenever the golem is subjected to fire damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to the fire damage dealt.
• Immutable Form: The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
• Magic Resistance: The golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Magic Weapons: The golem's weapon attacks are magical.

Attacks:

• Multiattack: The chimera makes three attacks: one with its bite, one with its horns, and one with its claws. When its fire breath is available, it can use the breath in place of its bite or horns.
• Bite: +13 to hit, 20 (3d8+7) piercing dmg
• Horns: +13 to hit, 23 (3d10+7) bludgeoning dmg
• Claws: +13 to hit, 20 (3d8+7) slashing
• (Rchg 5-6) Fire Breath: 15 foot cone, each creature makes a DEX save DC 19, taking 45 (10d8) fire on a fail, half dmg on a success

Pentagram: 10 feet across, made of glowing red energy. Word in center: "Eat."

• Step in: Teleported to the Nightmare Chamber on pg 40.

When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear in an Abyssal realm on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lave.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit (MM pg 63) appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• Body: The character is offered a red wafer with a demon's face on it. A non-evil character who does so must make a CON save DC 15 or is poisoned until their next long rest. Once at least one character partakes, they are teleported back to room 5.
  

6. The Black Cocoon: 8 large ovoid objects, iron guillotine, demonskull font.

Cocoons: If disturbed, 8 bodaks emerge from them.

Guillotine: Runes on the blade (Abyssal writing): "Feed on the blood of their necks, oh Mighty Lord."

8 Bodaks: Volo's pg 127 (remember, they have an aura that does 5 necrotic - and the aura dmg stacks, as far as I know - and when a creature starts their turn and sees their eyes, they must make a CON sv DC 13 and, if they fail by 5+, drop to 0 HP!

So... just 5 bodaks is a deadly encounter for a group of lvl 14 heroes. I've decided to just go ahead and let the 8 bodaks be in here and see what happens. There might no necessarily even be a fight in here if the group doesn't touch the cocoons, and I'd say the group would have at least one round to flee/prepare while the bodaks emerge from their cocoons.

7. Vrock Roost: The group starts off on trapped stairs. 2 vrocks (MM pg 64) lurk in this room.

We got ourselves some trapped stairs. It goes like this:

1. The heroes head down the steps to get to room 7.
2. There is a feather on one step (it's nothing - a red herring).
3. The final step is trapped. Who ever steps on the final step is stunned and flung into the room, while bars drop from the ceiling and trap the rest of the group on the stairwell. 
4. 1 vrock attacks the isolated hero, while the other uses magic missiles to pummel the rest of the group.

Final Step: 2 saves: CON save DC 15 or stunned (save at the end of each turn to remove) and DEX save DC 20 or be flung 20 feet into the room.

Iron Bars: This room has a "roost" of iron bars. Touching a bar does 15 lightning damage (the vrocks are immune). 

2 Vrocks: (MM pg 64) One has a wand of magic missiles (DMG pg 211).

This is an "easy" encounter for a 14th lvl group of characters.

Treasure: Obsidian bracelet worth 1,000 gp.

8. Vrock Lair: This is where the vrocks live. There is a torture rack in here.

• Demonskull Font

Nest of Bones: 341 gp, gold ring worth 150 gp, vrock spores: A 15­-foot­-radius cloud of toxic spores extends out from the vrock. The spores spread around corners. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. While poisoned in this way, a target takes 5 (1d10) poison damage at the start of each of its turns. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Emptying a vial of holy water on the target also ends the effect on it.

Torture Device: A rack with a corpse on it. Has runes - Abyssal writing: "Although this sacrifice is long in coming, enjoy its sweet suffering, dark master, as much as its soul."

9. Master of Defenses: There's a glabrezu in here, and a magic iron throne. Sit on it, I dare you!

• Demonskull Font

Blade Chandelier: Plaque on it reads: "As this sacrifice's blood drains down upon the throne, Ochermeshk, know that we speak your name in reverent tones."

Iron Throne: Sit on the throne:

• You are held immobile by wire and vines (no saving throw!) Does 5 slashing damage per round.
• Escape the vines: STR check DC 25, or cut to wires (wires have 4 HP each).
• If a person sitting on the throne says "Ochremeshk" they receive the Mantle of Egregious Might! Gain the effects of a potion of heroism (immune to being frightened, gain 7 temporary HP at the start of each turn) for 4 hours and have the ability to raise/lower the prismatic walls that block rooms 10 and 14 (see pg 19).
  

Sekeren the Glabrezu: (MM pg 58) It should probably start off by using power word stun (PH pg 267). COn sv DC 16, fail = stunned!

The glabrezu is an "easy" fight. This is fine to me... I am a little worried that this dungeon will feel like a slog. Having some of the nonessential encounters be easy means the group can breeze through some areas and we're moving along at a brisk pace.

10. Hall of Paintings: Walls covered in paintings (there is a secret door behind one painting, reveals stairs to room 16).

Paintings: There are 10 paintings, each 4 feet tall x 8 feet across.Removing a painting requires a DC 15 WIS save or you can't bring yourself to do it. Removing 3+ paintings will trigger a secret warning to Distania the succubus (MM pg 285).

1. Building the Fane: Cultists laboring.
2. Finished Fane: Nobody around.
3. The First Revel: Cultists cavorting with trolls, hags, and demons.
4. Sacrifices for the Demon God: Dozens of sacrifices.
5. Blood Hunters: Mortals riding nightmares, dragging kidnapped victims away.
6. Sekeren: Glabrezu sitting on the Iron Throne
7. Charmachnar, Master of the Fane: A balor standing on a pile of corpses.
8. Sussinst-ir, High Priestess: A bald half-elf with a staff topped with a demonic head.
9. Lytaros Fel + Distania: A satyr-looking half-demon and a succubus... in love.
10. Ochremeshk, Demon God: A huge demon lord surrounded by tormented  souls.

11. Distania: Lavish Bedchamber (hidden in the pillows are keys to the chest and secret door)

• Demonskull Font

Chest: (trapped and locked DC 15) Trap: poison insanity mist CON save DC 15. In the chest:

• Cloak of Elvenkind (DMG pg 158)
  
• Demonskull Talisman (gives you advantage one time, turns to dust when used)
• Bag containing 12 pearls, each worth 50 gp (total value 600 gp)
  

Furnishings: Wardrobe contains silky, sheer clothing, cosmetics and perfumes worth 500 gp. I feel like we need to make up some succubus perfumes:

• Come Hither: A floral bouquet of rose and jasmine with a touch of vanilla to deepen.
• Flirtatious Touch: A blend of patchouli, praline, red berries, and vanilla encapsulating the following three facets: "celestial, delicious, and voluptuous."
• Slip of the Tongue: It has a full-bodied scent—powdery but complimented with notes of vanilla, amber, iris, and bergamot. It is sultry and ever-lasting.

Secret Door: Locked, sloping passage to room 13.

Distania: Succubus (MM pg 285)

12. The Beloved of Distania: Silk pillows, groaning corpses.

This room contains 10 undead lovers of the succubus (each killed by her touch), who are calling to her. 

10 wights: MM pg 300

This is a "hard" encounter for a lvl 14 party. I'm not sure I'm going to run this as a combat. I think it's just an interesting thing that makes Distania unique - this is what happens to her "lovers." I do like the idea of them crawling to and grabbing heroes, begging them to bring Distania to them, triggering their Life Drain power in the process.

13. Hilt Sphere: Spherical room, pentagram.

Pentagram: Step inside, it teleports you to the Nightmare Chamber on page 40.

When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear in an Abyssal Realm on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lava.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• If you came from Room 13 - Breath: The quasit is holding a bronze incense burner. Inhale: CON sv DC 15. Fail: Gives you advantage on INT-based skill checks, but once you take a rest, that effect goes away and you are poisoned until your next long rest. Once at least one character partakes, the group is teleported back to room 13.
  

14. Demon Giants: 

• Demonskull Font

Bed Chambers: Iron bed, pot of burning coals, bags.

• Erche's Bag: Potion of cold resistance (DMG pg 188), potion of vitality (DMG pg 188), Battered idol of Ochremeshk, 43 sp.
• Burch's Bag: 3 copper skulls (worth 45 gp each), potion of invisibility (DMG pg 188), potion of fire giant strength (DMG pg 187), potion of speed (DMG pg 188)

2 Fire Giants: MM pg 154

Two fire giants is a medium difficulty encounter for a party of 14th level heroes.

Secret Door: Leads to area 16.

15. Fire Pit: This is a large pit that the heroes might end up getting teleported into via traps in other rooms. There is a magically fireproof chest in the fire.

• Runes: Abyssal Language: "Accept the lives of these burning sacrifices, Lord Ochremeshk. Their charred flesh and screams of agony are yours."
  
• Fire: These magic flames destroy everything and emit no smoke.
• Heat: 10 fire damage when you enter or start your turn.

Chest: The fire giants, immune to fire, have put a magically fireproof chest in here. The chest is hot to the touch (10 fire damage) and has bands wrapped around it that must be removed (STR check DC 20).

• The interior of the chest is magically cool. Contains 2,310 gp, goblet worth 80 gp, rubies worth 550 gp, 2 golden platters worth 240 gp total, and a malachite flask worth 400 gp.

Teleport: Characters might appear in this fire pit if they tried to teleport in room 22. Same with room 25.

16. Flesh Golems: This room has trapped stairs. The middle step is trapped. If you step on it:

1. Iron bars seal the group in a cage.
2. The cage interior is an antimagic field (PH pg 213 - spells can't be cast, magic items don't work)
3. 5 flesh golems with polearms (15 foot reach +7/+7 9 dmg) stab at the group through the bars.

5 Flesh golems: MM pg 169

This is a "hard" encounter for a 14th lvl group.

17. Holy Ghost: In this room is a friendly ghost.

• Demonskull font

Galla, Paladin of Good: Ghost (MM pg 147) She has a lot of information to share:

• To Destroy the Fane's Heart: You must step into all 3 pentagrams in the fane. Then you can activate the transporter to the Fane's Heart.
• Lytaros Fel: Lytaros Fel runs this place now. He killed the former leader, a lich. He is trying to warp reality/timeso that the fane was never submerged int he lake. 
• Holy Sword: Galla had a holy sword, but the bad guys took it. (This sword is in the pit in room 26)
  

18. Tendrils of Death: There are 4 ropers, who will try to get into a "tug of war", trying to pull a character apart.

• Demonskull Font

4 Ropers: MM pg 261

This is a "medium" encounter for lvl 14 heroes

19. Guardians: 3 trolls lurk in here, along with an iron cage containing an animated skeleton. If there's noise, the troll from room 20 will probably come running.

Skeleton: If destroyed, it reforms.

3 Trolls: MM pg 291

This is a medium encounter... hard if the spirit troll joins.

20. Lasteresh's Pool: Large basin full of water - this is where the hezrou lived.

• Demonskull Font

Runes: Abyssal Language: "The drowning screams that come from the murders in this pool are yours, oh Mighty Ochremeshk."

Troll Commander: Spirit Troll (Volo's pg 244). I like the troll variants in Volo's! This one can move through objects and creatures, and its bite stuns.

21. T'Lurg's Chamber: T'Lurg is an old, wrinkly, ogre mage, who will flee to room 22, where he hopes the hags will help him deal with the characters.

T'Lurg the Ogre Mage: Oni MM pg 239. Not a threat to the group. If it is going to flee, it could make itself invisible or assume gaseous form.

22. Mistresses of the Night: In this room are two night hags riding retrievers. This room has a magical effect that redirects attempts at teleportation.

• Demonskull Font

Teleportation Redirect: Any character who tries to teleport in here, appears in the fire pit in room 15.

Pentagram: "Burn" Step in, teleport to Nightmare Chamber on page 40.

When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear in an Abyssal Realm on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lava.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• Black Fire: The quasit holds a burning silver brazier shaped like a skull. Put your hand in: Take 5 necrotic dmg, HP Max reduced until you are healed by good magic. Once at least one character partakes, the group is teleported back to room 22.
  

2 Demon Pillars with Watching Eyes: Can summon 2 retrievers per hour

• Retrievers: Mordenkainen's pg 222
  
• If you touch the pillars and say "Ochremeshk," you teleport to room 24.

Kadara and Vumul: 2 night hags (MM pg 178) I am thinking that the hags will just go ethereal and let their retrievers do their thing.
2 Retrievers: Mordenkainen's pg 222

OK... a retriever is a CR 14 monster! The adventure wants two of them in here. Just one retriever, alone, is a "medium" threat. I think what I'll do is, see how the group is rolling along. If they're using spells like banishment to clear out threats, then I'll leave both retrievers in. But if not, I'll just give the hags one retriever.

23. The Hags' Quarters: (The door to this room is locked and trapped: CON sv DC 15 or 32 psychic dmg an HP MAX reduced until long rest. If 0 HP = dead).

Beds hang from the ceiling, there's a rug made of hair

Lanterns: Touch: WIS sv DC 20 create magic light = darkness

Trunks: Each of these has a three-spinner combination lock DC 20.

If you cast Knock (PH pg 254) on these locks, it triggers a lightning bolt spell DEX sv DC 15 8d6 lightning dmg, save for half.

Trunk 1: 

• 3 vials of torpor (600 gp) CON sc DC 15 or poisoned for 4d6 hours and incapacitated.
• 3 flasks of alchemist's fire (rg 20 d4 fire dmb, extinguish DEX DC 10)
• 1 antitoxin (adv on saves vs poison for one hour)
• 10 pieces of jewelry worth 100 gp each,

Trunk 2: 

• 782 gp, 219 pp, clotch doll riddled with needles
• "Bag of holding" actually bag of devouring (DMG pg 153). Reach hand in 50% chance you're pulled in, escape = STR DC 20.
• 2 potions of supreme healing (8d4+8)
• 1 scroll of lesser restoration (PH pg 255)
  

Books: 

• Manual of quickness of action (DMG pg 181, takes 48 hours to read... +2 to DEX score)
• Vumul's Journal: She is devoted to Ochremeshk. Last entry says "History will be re-written."
  

24. Master of the Blood Hunters: This room works as follows:

• This room is shrouded in a permanent darkness (PH pg 230) spell (need a level 3 light spell to counter it)
• There are pillars with invisible blades on them.
  
• Room is spinning: Start turn: DEX save DC 10. Fail = cut by invisible blades, 7 slashing dmg.
  
• The vampire in here has a gem of seeing (DMG pg 172 - gives truesight for 10 minutes) in his eyepatch.

Throne: Has a secret switch that lowers it to room 25.

Ungalish the Vampire: MM pg 297

• His resting place is in room 26, under the statue in the pit.

25. The Multi-Leveled Pit:  Invisible floor is 30 feet above the real floor. 15 feet below are 2 skeletons

Upper 2 levels are walls of force (beholder's anti-magic cone suppresses the walls)

Teleport Redirect: Using any sort of teleportation in here send you to the fire pit in room 15.

Iron Levers: Reverse gravity for d4 rounds.

Doors: STR check DC 25, blocked by calcified skulls on the far side.

Painted Eye: Beholder appears in here 1 round after the group enters.

Pit: At the bottom of the room's south end, there is a permanent [hase door activated by saying "Chaos and Evil for Ochremeshk." Drops you to room 26.

2 Devourers: Volo's pg 138

1 Beholder: MM pg 28

This is wayyy too tough for a 14th level group. The beholder alone is a "medium" threat. The devourers are CR 13 each! But... The devourers are separate, sealed off from the group by walls of force. I'm inclined to leave this as-is. Devourers are really cool monsters, they definitely don't get enough use.

26. The Profanity: This room is under the effect of a forbiddance spell (PH pg 243). To enter, make a DC 15 WIS save or take 10 psychic damage.

Demon statue rises 30 feet out of a pit, each hand holds a blob (retrievers!).

Unhallow: PH pg 249 

Smoke: If a character has taken all three sacraments, they can touch the smoke to create a doorway to room 28. 

Pit: 20 feet deep (in this pit is Galla's "+1 demonbane longsword." Let's make this a "demon slayer":

Demon Slayer
Weapon (any sword), rare

• You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
• When you hit a demon with this weapon, the demon takes an extra 3d6 damage.

Alcoves: West = Chaos, East = Evil. 

Fire Pit: 15 ft deep 10 fire dmg. Obsidian statue of Ochremeshk in the fire, touch with a demonskull amulet = gain inspiration, covered in a nimbis of green fire. If a chaotic character does this, Ochremeshk offers them a wish in exchange for a sacrifice.

Runes: In the Abyssal language, proclaiming praise for Ochremeshk.

(Secret Door: East wall, trapped with fire d4+11 dmg)

2 Bebiliths: We'll use this stat block here.

The bebiliths are CR 11. Two of them are a "hard" encounter for the 14th lvl heroes.

27. Lytaros Fel's Quarters: There is a table in here with a ton of stuff on it.

Table: Contains an alchemy lab worth 1,000 gp and all these things:

• Potion of Greater healing (heals 4d4+4)
• Potion of Heroism (grants 10 temp HP and effects of Bless)
• Wand of Magic Missiles (DMG pg 211)
• (Invisible Spellbook): You need special viewing glasses to read it. Contains the spells that a lich has (see MM pg 202)
• (Hidden Chest - hidden via an illusion): Locked DC 20, This chest is insane, see below.

Hidden Chest: Trapped - Glyph of warding (spot with DC 20 Investigation) 20 foot radius DEX sv DC 15 or 5d8 acid dmg, half on save

• Scrolls: (all have glyphs of warding that do 5d8 acid, like the glyph on the chest) Greater Restoration (PH pg 246), Dispel Magic (PH pg 234), Blade Barrier (PH pg 218), Flame Strike (PH pg 242), Raise Dead (PH pg 270)
• Soulstealer: +1 dagger, sentient, Chaotic Evil, can detect good at will, casts haste once per day
• There's a complicated hidden compartment in here, too (see below)
  

Hidden Compartment: Has a glyph of warding (Harm CON sv DC 15 fail 14d6 necrotic, half dmg on save HP Max reduced for 1 hour.

• Bag of Holding: (DMG pg 153) In this bag is an iron box (locked DC 20, trapped - glyph of warding 20 foot radius DEX sv DC 15 or 5d8 acid dmg, half on save
• Demonskull talisman
• A Book: Actually a vacuous grimoire! 2 saving throws. Fail the first -1 INT, Fail the second: -2 WIS
• Book of Vile Darkness! (DMG pg 222)
  

28. The Fane's Heart: Globe without gravity, red runes

So basically, this is where the heroes can go back in time to stop the bad guys from altering history. The evildoers want to make it so that the fane was never sealed off.

Ritual of Time Displacement:

• The heroes will be in the past for 10 rounds, then are returned to the present.
• They must defend the hero, Enchelious
• It is expected that they will focus on fighting Lytaros Fel while Enchelious battles the balor
• Rules: Nothing can be brought back from the past. | Things from the future cannot be left in the past (even single arrows)

Balor: MM pg 55

Enchelious:War Priest, Volo's pg 218

Lytaros Fel: Re-skinned Arcanoloth, MM pg 313

The adventure wants to set it up so that Enchelious fights the balor, and the group fights Lytaros. I am of the opinion that it is so rare for a group to actually have the opportunity to fight a balor, and I really don't want to pass this up. It's one of the ultimate fights in D&D, right? A balor! 

The balor is a CR 19 monster, which is a "Hard" encounter for the lvl 14 group. We're doing this!

(pg 41) The Nightmare Chamber: When a character steps into a pentagram, they appear here on a circular platform hovering above lava. There is a hole in the center of the pentagram, where a wall of force/"lift" can lower the group down to an invisible platform just above the lave.

When the heroes stand on the invisible platform, a quasit appears holding a sacrament that correlates to the pentagram they had stepped in.

• If you came from Room 5 - Body: The character is offered a red wafer with a demon's face on it. A non-evil character who does so must make a CON save DC 15 or is poisoned until their next long rest.
• If you came from Room 13 - Breath: The quasit is holding a bronze incense burner. Inhale: CON sv DC 15. Fail: Gives you advantage on INT-based skill checks, but once you take a rest, that effect goes away and you are poisoned until your next long rest.
• If you come from Room 22 - Black Fire: The quasit holds a burning silver brazier shaped like a skull. Put your hand in: Take 5 necrotic dmg, HP Max reduced until you are healed by good magic.

At least one character must partake in a sacrament. Once done, they are teleported back to whence they came.

Good characters linked to a deity may need to atone for these acts within one week, or have their alignment shifted to neutral or evil.

Possessing the Book of Vile Darkness

The Book of Vile Darkness took me by surprise. Really? It's in this place? This book is a major artifact! What happens when a character has it in their possession? And seeing how this campaign is all about the lifebane, a force that strengthens all chaos and evil throughout the multiverse, wouldn't that make this book even more potent?

Check out DMG pg 222. Once attuned to it, if you do a good deed, the book disappears. It is likely the heroes won't have this for long.

Just for fun, let's toll the random properties. Totally legit, no re-rolling, just to see what happens.

3 Minor Beneficial Properties

• (75) While attuned to the Book, you can use an action to cast one 2nd lvl spell of the DM's choice from it (I choose Invisibility). After you cast it, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-5, you can't cast it again until the next dawn.
• (62) While attuned to the Book, you can use an action to cast one 2nd lvl spell of the DM's choice from it I choose Darkness). After you cast it, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-5, you can't cast it again until the next dawn.
• (42) While attuned to the Book, you have resistance to one damage type of the DM's choice (necrotic makes sense, right?)

1 Major Beneficial Property

• (77) While attuned to the Book, you can use an action to cast one 6th lvl spell of the DM's choice from it (I choose Circle of Death). After you cast it, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-5, you can't cast it again until the next dawn.
  

3 Minor Detrimental Properties

• (67) While attuned to this artifact, nonmagical flames are extinguished within 30 feet of you.
• (89) While you are attuned to the artifact, animals within 30 feet are hostile toward you.
• (39) While attuned to the artifact, you are physically ill and have disadvantage on any ability check or saving throw that uses Strength or Constitution.
  

2 Major Detrimental Properties

• (80) When you become attuned to the artifact, one of your ability scores is reduced by 2 at random. A greater restoration spell restores the ability to normal.
• (55) When you become attuned to the artifact, you gain a form of long-term madness (DMG pg 260). These only last 1d10x10 hours. I'm a bit torn between having the character roll and just picking the madness. If I were to pick, I'd take: The character experiences uncontrollable tremors or tics, which impose disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws that involve Strength or Dexterity.

The Lifebane Campaign

I've been posting conversions of old Monte Cook adventures here a few weeks now, and I've been thinking about the overall story. A reader emailed me the other day and helped me piece the whole thing together.

The overarching story comes from Labyrinth of Madness, an epic 2e adventure for characters level 17-20. I've always seen it as sort of the "ultimate D&D adventure." I ran it once 20 years ago, and my players bailed out after experiencing 1 room. I've been waiting to run it again ever since.

Here is the plan for my Monte Cook 5e "Lifebane" campaign as it stands right now:

• (lvl 12) A Question of Ethics (5e conversion here)
  
• (lvl 12) The Harrowing (5e conversion here)
  
• (lvl 14) Mysteries of the Dead Gods (5e conversion here)
• (lvl 14) Demon God's Fane (5e conversion is almost ready to be posted)
• (lvl 16) Limbo adventure based in part on the Great Modron March - The lifebane's chaos boost is destroying a githzerai city.
  
• (lvl 16) A Paladin in Hell
• (lvl 18) Tales of the Infinite Staircase - the lifebane is destroying the Staircase.
  
• (lvl 18) Labyrinth of Madness

The Lifebane

The overall threat of this campaign is the lifebane - a sentient, invisible force of chaotic evil. I'm going to run it sort of like an evil version of The Force from Star Wars. It's everywhere. Invisible. Slowly corrupting all of reality toward chaos and evil. 

This means that, throughout the campaign, the lifebane effects will grow stronger and stronger. The lifebane is detailed in the Labyrinth of Madness:

• Madness: People slowly become more cruel/ruthless/devious.
• Corruption: Bodies slowly change, gaining scales/snake tails/snake heads.
• Divination Spells: 25% of being altered, manipulated by the lifebane.
• Summoning Spells: 75% chance a creature summoned is controlled by the lifebane.
• Healing Spells: 50% chance that flesh healed by magic becomes scaly and snakelike.
• Boosted Spells: Feeblemind, Symbol: Insanity, and Tasha's hideous laughter. (boosted = disadvantage on saving throws?)
  

I'll slowly roll these effects out. I'll probably implement the boosted spells effect right away, and I really like the "magical healing gives you scaly skin" idea. The divination also seems fun flavor. 

The Umbral Taint: I plan on folding the umbral taint, a similar concept from Monte's Demon God's Fane adventure, into the lifebane as well. The umbral taint basically creates demon insects that attach to your back and turn you chaotic evil, forcing you to do horrid things.

The Sigils

In Labyrinth of Madness, the group needs to acquire 20 sigils. Once they find a sigil, they touch it, and it becomes a glowing tattoo on their body. The heroes will eventually have a "a sleeve" of ten tattoos on each arm. 

In the adventure, the sigils are necessary to get through the dungeon. Certain objects and places don't exist to people who don't have the sigils.

For my campaign, I'm having it where the entire multiverse is infected by the lifebane, and the multiverse's "immune system" creates the sigils as a way to give certain people an advantage to fight back and avoid being corrupted.

In my campaign, the multiverse operates by the three Great Truths from the Planescape setting:

Unity of Rings: The Unity of Rings principle also means that what goes around comes around, that good deeds will be returned with other good deeds.

Rule of Three: This is based on something that seems to be a phenomenon in the Multiverse, that everything comes in threes: there are three cosmic truths (Center of All, Unity of Rings, and Rule of Threes).

Center of All: There is a center of everything—or, rather, wherever a person happens to be is the center of the multiverse. 

In my campaign, there are characters that actually are the embodiment of these laws:

• Unity of Rings: A baby of Theran (from my Planescape campaign) and Blibdoolpoolp.
  
• Center of All: Lilia from my Dungeon Academy campaign. Wherever she stands is literally the center of the multiverse.
• Rule of Three: Bidam the dragonborn from my old Planescape campaign.
  

I don't have it all worked out yet, but basically these three are generating the Sigils. They can sense the lifebane and the threat to the Multiverse. The lifebane obviously will want to incapacitate them so it can spread unchecked.

Powers of the Sigils

by Dan Frazier

The Sigils are detailed on page 7 of Labyrinth of Madness:

• They must be touched to activate.
• They appear like permanent tattoos on your arms - 10 on the left, 10 on the right
• In the adventure, the sigils must be found in order. If you touch one out of order, it does not appear on your arm.
• Without the proper sigils, certain objects don't even exist. For my game, I'm saying that the sigils let the characters see and use things that will help them fight the lifebane.
  

The Room of 20 Doors: The Sigils also come up in an epic room in Labyrinth of Madness on pg 60 - The Room of 20 Doors. In this area, there are 20 doors, each of which has one of the sigils on it! Every single one of these doors leads to nothing but a wall! Except that Door #4 has a secret panel with a latch that can be used to activate a ladder that goes up and out through a field of magical darkness. Door #15 causes the whole room to rise up, bringing the group to the next area.

I am planning on using this room as a sort of guide as to what each sigil might do. I am thinking that, in my campaign, when a character acquires a sigil, it allows them to use a spell-like ability one time. Then again.. that might get out of hand really quick.

Each sigil has a corresponding number. Here is a list of the sigils, their effects in the Room of 20 Doors, and my ideas on the possible spell-like ability they grant to a character:

1. Glyph of warding (lightning)
2. Silence
3. Glyph of warding (fire)
4. Darkness
5. Curse: Magic items don't work while you touch them!
6. Mummy rot!
7. Polymorph into a snake.
8. Glyph of Warding (cold)
9. Summons 4 harmless snakes
10. Teleports you into a cage in the ridiculously deadly beholder room.
11. Symbol of Death!
12. Blindness
13. Magic arrows shoot at you
14. Paralyzed for d4 hours.
15. Entire room raises 20 feet and is submerged into darkness.
16. Acid Spray
17. Another Symbol of death!
18. Disintegrate!
19. Drains the magic from one magic item on your person.
20. Symbol of Death again.
    

Sigil Effects: I am struggling over whether I should give the sigils special effects that can aid the heroes. I definitely want to say that heroes with sigils are protected against the lifebane. They won't be corrupted, they don't turn scaly, etc.

But I really love the idea of having the sigils give the characters some sort of boon that mirrors the detrimental effects in the Room of 20 Doors. The problem there is that the group will probably become overpowered.

Maybe I should have the sigils offer some sort of small boon, such as giving themselves advantage one time (even that seems like way too much).

I prefer the idea of something more flavorful. Maybe they can use the sigils to reverse lifebane effects? Each sigil grants a one-time ability to remove scales, or to turn a corrupted person back to their normal self, or to negate the disadvantage on a Tasha's saving throw?

The Other Adventurers

by Dan Frazier

One of my favorite things to do in D&D is to create a band of rival NPC adventurers. This is actually baked in to the Labyrinth - a band of rival adventurers are the ones who accidentally released the lifebane in the first place!

They are now in the Labyrinth, all partly transformed into yuan-ti, corrupted by the lifebane.

I dug through the book and listed them all. Each ends up as a yuan-ti half-breed in the labyrinth.
Some of them have "serpent rings" (rings that look like a snake eating its own tail) which gives them special access to the labyrinth.

• (pgs 29-30) Daergul: 8th lvl fighter - has a dysfunctional relationship with Yquis
• (pgs 29-30) Yquis: 10th lvl mage - has a staff of striking and dust of appearance - has a dysfunctional relationship with Daergul
• (pg 40) Tarrana: 9th lvl fighter - has a girdle of giant strength - meditates
• (pg 40) Erthane: lvl 9 cleric - worships Aertthun the titan/empyrean, has a gold mace
• (pg 53) Renn: 10th lvl rogue - has 5 beads of force - loves exercise
• (pg 53) Llanoir: 7th lvl mage - has a wand of illusion - a good artist
  

They summoned a "titan" aka a 5e empyrean, who is now deep in the labyrinth doing evil stuff.

I am thinking that the group actually meets these scallywags prior to their entry into the Labyrinth. I like the idea that they are the new heroes of Port Nyanzaru, who have won some dinosaur races, just like this group had done in my Tomb of Annihilation campaign.

What's Next? I should have the conversion of Demon God's Fane up soon. I have noticed that Monte Cook has a few other favorite monsters: Bodaks and Succubi. I am thinking of taking every succubus from each adventure and making them some sort of group.

Candlekeep Mysteries: What We Know so Far

There's a new D&D product coming out on March 16th: Candlekeep Mysteries. I'll update this article as we learn more.

You can pre-order Candlekeep Mysteries right here.

You can pre-order the D&D Beyond version here.

Quick Summary

Here's a quick rundown of what's in this book:

• 17 adventures, all one-shots.
• Levels 1-16.
• Poster Map of Candlekeep.
• Full write-up of Candlekeep.
• New monsters and magic items.
  

Official Information

Let's check out what we know so far. Here's the text from the press email:

While there’s a lot to love about long D&D campaigns full of twists, drama and character development, sometimes Dungeon Masters and players are looking for quick one-shots, a light-hearted palate-cleanser, or … a little mystery.

Introducing Candlekeep Mysteries, an anthology of seventeen mystery-themed adventures each centered around a single book found in the iconic library fortress. All of these adventures--many written by new authors—are intended to be played as one-shots in-person or online or simply dropped into any existing campaign. Candlekeep Mysteries is perfect for Dungeon Masters who are looking to inject new characters, story hooks, magic items, and monsters into their game without tons of prep.

Available everywhere on March 16 with a cover by Clint Cearley, and in game stores with an alternate cover by Simen Meyer, Candlekeep Mysteries presents each adventure as a tome on its infinite shelves, plus background information about the library fortress that’s enchanted fans of the Forgotten Realms for decades.

“I got my start in the gaming industry by writing short D&D adventures,” said Chris Perkins, Principal Story Designer for Dungeons & Dragons. “I'm grateful to be able to work on a product that gives other authors the same opportunity. The adventures in this anthology reflect the incredible creativity of the D&D community."

Candlekeep Mysteries features adventures written by authors, including:

    Graeme Barber (@POCGamer)
    Kelly Lynne D’Angelo (@kellylynnedang)
    Alison Huang (@Drazillion)
    Mark Hulmes (@sherlock_hulmes)
    Jennifer Kretchmer (@dreamwisp)
    Daniel Kwan (@danielhkwan)
    Adam Lee (@adamofadventure)
    Ari Levitch (@AriLevitch)
    Sarah Madsen (@UnfetteredMuse)
    Christopher Perkins (@ChrisPerkinsDnD)
    Michael Polkinghorn (@MiketheGoalie)
    Taymoor Rehman (@DarkestCrows)
    Derek Ruiz (@ElvenTower)
    Kienna Shaw (@kiennas)
    Brandes Stoddard (@BrandesStoddard)
    Amy Vorpahl (@vorpahlsword)
    Toni Winslow-Brill (@vorgryth)

Here's what we learn from the Amazon listing:

Candlekeep attracts scholars like a flame attracts moths. Historians, sages, and others who crave knowledge flock to this library fortress to peruse its vast collection of books, scribbled into which are the answers to the mysteries that bedevil them. Many of these books contain their own mysteries ̶—each one a doorway to adventure. Dare you cross that threshold?

·  17 mystery-themed D&D adventures, each tied to a book discovered in the famed library fortress of Candlekeep
·  Easy to run as stand-alone mini adventures or to drop into your home campaign
·  Adventures span play from levels 1 to 16
·  Includes a full poster map of Candlekeep, plus detailed descriptions of the various locations, characters, and creatures that reside within it
·  Introduces a variety of Dungeons & Dragons monsters, items, and non-player characters (NPCs)

Candlekeep Mysteries is a collection of seventeen short, stand-alone D&D adventures designed for characters of levels 1–16. Each adventure begins with the discovery of a book, and each book is the key to a door behind which danger and glory await. These adventures can be run as one-shot games, plugged into an existing Forgotten Realms campaign, or adapted for other campaign settings. This book also includes a poster map of the library fortress and detailed descriptions of Candlekeep and its inhabitants.

Thoughts & Further Details

Initial Thoughts: I really like that they've made a book that is not a conversion of old adventures, but rather, something new linked to official lore.

I am only passingly familiar with Candlekeep. Most of what I know about it comes from Baldur's Gate, which opens in Candlekeep. It is an awesome location.

5e Candlekeep: Candlekeep also recently appeared in Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus. The heroes go there very briefly in the adventure. At the time, I felt like they didn't detail the location enough, but now we see why! It's getting its own book.

We get a good look at the 5e version of Candlekeep (pg 45 of Descent)

"Candlekeep is a fortress perched on a spur of rock overlooking the Sea of Swords. It is reached by a single road, the Way of the Lion, which branches west off the Coast Way."

"Candlekeep is always open to visitors and boasts one of the finest libraries in Faerun. The monks of Candlekeep also preserve the predictions of Alaundo the Seer, a singular sage whose prophecies have proved correct over long years. Upon the seer's death, Candlekeep became a haven for both the veneration of his prophecies and the accumulation of all knowledge. If there's a secret to be learned, the clues to finding it can probably be found in Candlekeep."

Spelljammer Stuff: I am a big Spelljammer guy, so I was excited to read this tweet:

One more thing: @vorpahlsword mentioned during the press event for this book that her adventure has some Spelljammer themes/references. So be prepared for some heavy SPELLJAMMER CONFIRMED cries across the internet in March.

— Christian Hoffer (@CHofferCBus) January 12, 2021

I think there is a spelljammer ship called Quentin's Libram? Or Libraria? Here it is.

The ship is powered by devouring spellbooks, so yeah that might be cool.

Adventure Details: This post on comicbook.com gives out some extra details on the actual adventures.

"Each adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries is named after the book at the center of the adventure. During a press event, Dungeons & Dragons revealed details about three of the adventures that will appear in Candlekeep Adventures."

Jennifer Kretchmer's "The Canopic Being": Focuses on several puzzling organ transplants and takes the players to Tashluta, a city on the Chult Peninsula that hasn't appeared in a 5E adventure. 

D&D Beyond provides further details:

• Tashluta is built into the caldera of a great volcano (like Cauldron from the Shackled City path!)
• "As an ambulatory wheelchair user, Kretchmer says that is was important to her that her dungeon was a place that she could explore. As such, it’s filled with fantasy elevators (whether they functioned by pulley or by magic, she didn’t say), and ledges are accessible by ramps rather than by stairs."
  

Taymoor Rehman's "Zikran Zephyrian Tome": Focuses on djinni trapped inside a book that offers a wish spell to the adventurers who can release him. 

We learn a bit more about this adventure in a D&D Beyond article:

• The djinni will reward the group with a wish - or the djinni's assistance in further adventures.
  The adventure is 10-12 pages long, meant to be completed in a single session.
  

Amy Vorphal's "Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion": Sends players to a tower in Candlekeep itself to stop a threat to the iconic library. Vorphal teased a new type of monster - the mechanical Skitterwidgets - for her adventure and hinted at ties to the iconic Spelljammer campaign setting.

D&D Beyond has more:

• Mid-level adventure
• "...a zany caper involving creatures called Skitterwidgets and Kiddywidgets, and a mysterious figure called Dog Nuts."
• "Vorpahl mysteriously asserted that there would be some involvement of the renowned and oft-memetically requested Spelljammer campaign setting in her adventure. "
  

I'll update this post as we learn more. I imagine that Dragon+ will have a bunch of new information on this product prior to its release.

History of Candlekeep

This is a D&D Beyond youtube video that digs in to Candlekeep and gives us a nice little overview of the location. The participants:

• Todd Kenreck @ToddKenreck
• Justice Arman @JusticeArman
• James Haeck @JamesJHaeck
  

Justice made a book called Elminster's Candlekeep Companion, which was written after Descent into Avernus. This discussion talks about the companion quite a bit, and it seems like a more or less "official" version of Candlekeep.

Candlekeep Appearance: Candlekeep looks like a city of towers - jumbled, mixed architecture, a ship, and a tower called Exaltation that sparkles in the distance. There is a magic shield around Candlekeep that lets birds in, but little else.

Origin: It all started with one tower. Oghma sent two priests a vision, encouraging them to begin writing to preserve history. Priests from other gods of knowledge came to do the same, each building their own towers. At this point, nobody knows exactly how many towers there are at Candlekeep.

Gaining Entrance: To get in, you must give an entrance gift (a book, usually) - something Candlekeep doesn't already have. People have been turned away before handing in something of low quality.
Three Monks are stationed at the entrance:

• One who receives guests.
• One who watches the door.
• One who casts detect thoughts/zone of truth, making sure the person isn't coming there to do harm.
  

Prophecies of Alaundo: There is an open air courtyard, you hear an echoing constant chant. Four monks recite Alaundo's prophecies. In the first Baldur's Gate game, they deal with one of the prophecies - events involving the evil god Bhaal.

Dragon+ Issue 35

 by Emi Tanji

You can read this issue right here.

New Dragon+! Is there free stuff in here? Methinks that there is.

This issue is good, very "meat and potatoes." We get free maps from Rime and Storm King, an epic walkthrough map of Rime, and a really good article on the Mighty Servant of Leuk-o, complete with .pdfs of Leuk-o stuff from older editions.

Holiday Gift Guide 2020

We go through the many cool/weird D&D products out there that you can buy. I do like the cover of the "premium" Player's Handbook:

Gold foil! The set comes with a fancy DM screen and everything. 

There's shirts. I really like this one:

I think I've mentioned before that when I was a kid, I didn't understand the differences between basic D&D and Advanced D&D. I just squashed them all together. I remember my older brother telling me that we were playing it "wrong." 

I do remember getting the Immortal set and being baffled by the "Immortal" rules.

So yeah, I really like these shirts, and would love to get one for each basic box. But... $42! For one shirt! We're in a pandemic here, people. I should have invested in bitcoin. Or dogecoin, at least.

Honestly I'd like some 2nd edition apparel. I know 2nd edition wasn't as popular as the others, but 2e is what I played a ton of. I'd particularly like some Planescape shirts. I do have one Lady of Pain shirt, but I think it's a bootleg. I want some shirts with DiTerlizzi art.

There are more inexpensive shirts for 5e on amazon. They have shirts for different alignments. I declare myself to be LAWFUL GOOD:

Then of course, we have one of my favorite things ever. The d20 changing color light! I will buy this soon and it will be with me forever.

Update 1/14/2021: Greetings from the future! 2021 is somehow already more horrible than 2020. But! I got the d20 light today. 

It's a very simple product - a big, plastic, hollow d20, and it comes with a USB cord. There's a little button on the bottom. Push it, and boom there it goes, cycling through the colors. 

Is it worth $35? I think so. It is a little... light? Plastic? And it's a bit smaller than I expected. I mean.. it's big. I also expected it to have a black base for some reason, and it doesn't have that.

If you can find this product somewhere for $20, then it's an absolute must buy IMO. At $35, I think you'd need to already think it is the coolest thing ever.

Personally, I love it and have no regrets.

Dragon Classics

The 2e Leuk-o Explosion Chart

Now we get to the free .pdf stuff. This one focuses on a weird D&D artifact: The Mighty Servant of Leuk-o. We go through the lore. Apparently Leuk-o is a rival of Lum the Mad.

The item was actually named after Luke Gygax.

We trace its history through old D&D products. It was disassembled in Expedition to the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk.

It is in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, where there is a mention of "Lum the Maestro," a granddaughter of Lum the Mad.

Really great article! 

Best of the DMs Guild

They feature a bunch of Curse of Strahd-related products. They even included my Guide to Curse of Strahd! Looking at some of the other products, I feel like people don't charge enough money for their stuff. Hand-drawn maps of Barovia! Worth more than $1!!

Maps of the Month

Real good ones this month, most of them are from Rime of the Frostmaiden. We get players versions and DM versions of:

• Cackling Chasm 
• Karkolohk
• The Black Cabin
  

We also get maps from Storm King (the Great Worm Cavern), Mythic Odysseys of Theros, and a pile from an old 4e adventure.

Unearthed Arcana

Playtest stuff!

Monk: Way of the Ascendant Dragon: These monks alter their ki to "resonate with draconic might."

One possible origin: "After a dream that features a five-handed dragonborn you awoke with altered ki, reflecting the breaths of dragons."

A dragonborn with 5 hands?? Not arms, just hands? What an odd NPC. I guess they're an agent of Tiamat?

These monks can breathe dragon breath weapons, grow spectral wings, all sorts of good stuff. This is really cool.

Ranger: Drakewarden: Rangers who bond with a "minor dragon."

I wonder if Wizards of the Coast will be coming out with a 5e Draconomicon soon? This stuff is all dragon-centric. Draconomicons are cool, I'm always up for more details on Tiamat, bahamut, and all the weird dragon types out there. I'd love a section of harvesting dragon parts to use in the making of potions and magic items. I'd also love to read about what happens if you eat dragon meat. I bet Ed Greenwood has made up a whole thing about that, that guy is amazing.

My favorite origin: "You drank a few drops of dragon blood, forever infusing your nature magic with draconic power."

At 3rd level you can summon your drake companion. It's got a base stat block. You choose the damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison.

It is small, so you can't ride it. It grows wings when you hit 7th level. It becomes large when you hit 15th level.

Comic: Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden

These Jason Thompson walkthrough maps are the best. Some of them have helped me so much when it comes to understanding an adventure.

Good stuff! Loved the Leuk-o info.

Dungeons & Dragons - Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws

by Brian Valeza

I'm gearing up to start running a campaign again, so as I prepare, I'm thinking about trying to get better at certain things. I've always had a really hard time with incorporating character backgrounds into a campaign. I have two main problems:

1. Merging the player's ideas into my campaign's story while not ruining either.
2. Remembering the character's background!

Seriously. I forget their background. It's bad. I'm so consumed with keeping my own game straight that I can't handle the player's ideas, even though, in theory, the player's ideas should at least be just as important as mine.

One thing that has helped me remember backgrounds is to make a little campaign handbook where I devote a page to each hero, detailing their story and NPCs that are important to them in some way.

In 5e D&D, the Player's Handbook discusses 4 things that characters have to help them flesh out their character's personality: Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws.

Recurring Issue: I have definitely noticed one problem with this system. Characters often change quite a bit in the first few sessions, as the player adjusts to fit the tone of the campaign. A lot of times, level 4 characters barely resemble what's written on the traits section of their character sheet.

Here's a quick look at each, with quotes from the PH:

Personality Traits: "Give your character two personality traits. Personality traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character. Your personality traits should tell you something interesting and fun about your character. They should be self-descriptions that are specific about what makes your character stand out. “I’m smart” is not a good trait, because it describes a lot of characters. “I’ve read every book in Candlekeep” tells you something specific about your character’s interests and disposition."

Ideals: "Describe one ideal that drives your character. Your ideals are the things that you believe in most strongly, the fundamental moral and ethical principles that compel you to act as you do. Ideals encompass everything from your life goals to your core belief system."

Bonds: "Create one bond for your character. Bonds represent a character’s connections to people, places, and events in the world. They tie you to things from your background. They might inspire you to heights of heroism, or lead you to act against your own best interests if they are threatened. They can work very much like ideals, driving a character’s motivations and goals."

Flaws: "Finally, choose a flaw for your character. Your character’s flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness — in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you to ruin or cause you to act against your best interests. More significant than negative personality traits, a flaw might answer any of these questions: What enrages you? What’s the one person, concept, or event that you are terrified of? What are your vices?"

Touchstones

A few years ago, I was chugging along, running a DMs Guild adventure called Riddle of the Raven Queen. I love chapter 3 of this adventure. The group are in the Village of Broken Dreams in the Shadowfell. The village has a curse, and they can protect themselves from it by choosing touchstones. Here's the description of the curse and the touchstones:

Curse of the Evergloom: "Proximity to the Raven Queen and the soul crushing despair of the Shadowfell combine to create an insidious curse for those that linger too long in Broken Dreams. The curse of the evergloom slowly drains away every memory that gives a creature passion. Every hour that a creature with an Intelligence of 6 or higher is within the borders of Broken Dreams, they must succeed in on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be afflicted. A creature that succumbs is affected by a calm emotions spell and loses a Personality Trait, Bond, Ideal, or Flaw; usually starting with those most tied to strong emotion. Such a creature intellectually knows the missing personal characteristic was part of them but cannot muster any desire to recover it. This curse cannot be removed within Broken Dreams without venturing into the Fortress of Memories to retrieve it from the Raven Queen herself."

Touchstones: "Objects have meaning, and in Broken Dreams, they can help fend off the curse. Any item that reminds of or symbolizes a trait might help protect the creature. For example, a cleric with the Ideal “I trust my deity to guide my actions,” might find solace clutching a holy symbol of their faith, while a rogue with the Flaw “I value coin over friendship,” might hold onto that part of herself by pocketing a gold piece she stole from the cleric. Any such reminder gives the character advantage on their next saving throw against the curse and if the character succeeds, the object becomes a touchstone."

"While in Broken Dreams, a touchstone houses a memory crucial to one’s identity (such as a Personality Trait, Bond, Ideal, or Flaw) and may keep the curse from ever siphoning away that memory. A character with four touchstones becomes immune to the curse."

"Anyone handling a touchstone for a short rest experiences the feelings associated with the touchstone, and any creature losing their touchstone loses that piece of themselves. The characters would do well to guard any touchstones they create."

Using Touchstones: I really like this. It's a sort of Planescape-style thing to do, a way to delve deeper into what makes a character tick. I plan on making their touchstones a permanent thing.

I have awful reading comprehension skills, so I messed this up a bit when I ran it. The group was supposed to choose 4 touchstones, but I told them they only needed one. Some chose more than one, though.

Here is what the group chose as their touchstones:

• Mistletoe: His wand of wonder, and the broken shards of the dancing sword that shattered in the Tomb of Annihilation.
• Asana: Her yoga mat, her karach, Stingy (her pet scorpion)... and Ramrod.
• Linnet: Her divination cards (keep the party safe through good luck and bad luck).
• Ramrod: His maul, a flavor packet... and Asana.

Let's say that Mistletoe has connected his wand of wonder to his ideal, which is: "Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)"

So what happens if he disrespects someone? Does his wand malfunction? Do I say that the DM gets to choose which effect goes off the next time he uses it? Conversely, if he lives up to his ideal, does that mean he gets to choose the next wand of wonder effect? Or maybe he rolls twice and picks the one he wants?

If he shatters his ideal, does the wand break? If he lives up to his ideal on a massive scale, does a wild magic zone spring up in an aura around him?

Also, his shattered sword. Do the pieces dance if he lives up to his ideal? Does it re-form for a time?

I allowed the group to pick living beings as touchstones, even though the adventure says it should be objects. I just thought it would be fun. In this campaign, Ramrod and Asana are a couple. Asana has been selected as a touchstone.

She might be linked to his Bond: "My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me."

So what happens when Ramrod acts against his bond? He literally said in one session that Asana is his tribe now. What could happen to her? She's an air genasi, so maybe turbulent winds form around her. Conversely, what if he lives up to his bond in a big way? Does she gain some kind of power or energy? Temporary hit points?

I haven't got all of this figured out, yet. But I think I can use touchstones to help make the game feel more involved. I am thinking that, before each session, I'll pick one character and "test" them. I'll put them in a situation where they need to make a choice based on their flaw, or bond, etc. I'll write out consequences for each.

Over time, the players will feel like they really get to know their allies better, and I think they'll care more. That should, in theory, lead to a deeper and better game.

Links

ENWorld: List of all Traits/Ideals/Bonds/Flaws

Random Personality Generator for your Character

Dungeons & Dragons - Mysteries of the Dead Gods

I'm rolling right along with the preparation for my next 5e campaign. I will be running my Tomb/Shiftspice group through a series of old Monte Cook adventures converted to 5th edition.

Here is the plan for my Monte Cook 5e campaign as it stands right now:

• (lvl 12) A Question of Ethics
• (lvl 12) The Harrowing (from Dungeon Magazine #84)
  
• (lvl 14) Mysteries of the Dead Gods (based on an article Monte wrote in Dragon Magazine #240)
• (lvl 14) Demon God's Fane
• (lvl 16) A Paladin in Hell
• (lvl 18) Labyrinth of Madness

I posted the conversion of A Question of Ethics, and I finished The Harrowing. Now we get to another smaller adventure, one that hopefully takes 1-2 sessions to get through.

General Notes

We'll use the damage expression guidelines from the DMG. Levels 11-16:

• Setback: 4d10
• Dangerous: 10d10
• Deadly: 18d10
  

We'll also use the trap guidelines from the DMG:

• Setback: Save DC 10-11 Attack Bonus +3 to +5
• Dangerous: Save DC 12-15 Attack Bonus +6 to +8
• Deadly: Save DC 16-20 Attack Bonus +9 to +12

To scale encounters, I am using kobold fight club.

Note to Self

Before I start running this one, I'll ask each player to send me one memory that is important to their character. This will be used when they reach the god-isle.

The Plan

So here's my basic idea. In my game, the heroes are trying to figure out what is happening to the multiverse, and what these weird magic sigils are.

They learn of a place that can be used to learn deep secrets of the multiverse - the enormous floating corpse of Maanzecorian, dead god of the illithids, which hovers in the Astral Plane.

My group has a special NPC with them - a githyanki who was "grown" by the lich-queen of the githyanki (this NPC is from Lich-Queen's Begotten). The heroes basically stole her away, and the lich-queen had plans for her.

So when the group goes to the Astral Plane, the githyanki will be hunting them. My group flies around in a spelljamming ship, and I think it will be cool to have them be attacked by a githyanki ship.

The adventure outline looks like this:

1. Astral Plane: They fly their ship (the Spicejammer) through a color pool to the Astral Plane.
2. Githyanki Ambush: The group are attacked by a githyanki vessel.
3. Explore Husk: Land on the god-isle of Maanzecorian and explore it.
4. Learn Secrets: Figure out how to get the information they want from Maanzecorian's remains.
5. Defeat Guardian: Defeat the guardian of Maanzecorian - a brainstealer dragon.
   

I've been digging up info from a lot of different sources.

• Dead Gods: This Monte Cook adventure actually features a trip to a dead god (The remains of Orcus! Who was dead at the time).
• A Guide to the Astral Plane: Full of cool ideas (also written by Monte Cook).
  
• Secrets of the Astral Sea: Has details on a few githyanki vessels.
• Garaitha's Anvil: An adventure from the classic 4e Scales of War adventure path, features a githyanki shipyard and a really cool githyanki attack ship. 

Getting to the Astral Plane

How exactly is my group going to get their ship to the Astral Plane? This party mines shiftspice and sells it throughout the planes. Their route goes something like this:

• Material Plane: Akma'ad (a small githzerai fortress).
  
• Material Plane: Dripping Leaves (the elf village from Riddle of the Raven Queen).
• Material Plane: Port Nyanzaru (the jungle city from Tomb of Annihilation).
• The Shadowfell: The Village of Broken Dreams (the shadar kai village from Lich-Queen's Begotten)
• The Astral Plane: Tu'narath (the githyanki city)
• (base) Quasi-Elemental Plane of Spice: Headquarters (homebrew)

Color Pools

How do you get to the Astral Plane? Color pools! Check out chapter 2 of the DMG.

"Gateways leading from the Astral Plane to other planes appear as two-dimensional pools of rippling colors, 1d6 × 10 feet in diameter. Traveling to another plane requires locating a color pool that leads to the desired plane. These gateways to other planes can be identified by color, as shown on the Astral Color Pools table. Finding the right color pool is a matter of chance: locating the correct one takes 1d4 × 10 hours of travel."

Which Planes? There is a chart in the DMG of 20 planes you can access from the Astral Plane. The Shadowfell and the Elemental Planes are not on it. The book doesn't explicitly say that you can't access these planes from the Astral, though.

Looking at the Shadowfell entry later in the DMG, we see that the Shadowfell overlaps the Material Plane, and that usually you get there through a "shadow crossing" - a gloomy place where the barrier between the two planes is thin. "They manifest only in darkness."

The Inner Planes (the elemental planes) "...surround and enfold the Material Plane and its echoes..."

"These planes are all connected, and the border regions between them are sometimes described as distinct planes in their own right."

My homebrewed Quasi-Elemental Plane of Spice would probably be located near the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Ash, right?

Let's look at what Monte Cook's A Guide to the Astral Plane has to say about Color Pools.

"Color pools are doorways to the uppermost layer of any plane that borders the Astral. All of the Outer Planes have color pools leading to them, and all prime-material worlds possess links to the Astral in such a manner as well. While the number of pools is virtually limitless, some places seem to have more of these holes leading to them than others."

We also learn that:

• "Moving into a color pool is like stepping through a sheet of warm molasses."
• Color pools are likely the result of damage to the Astral Plane itself.
• Thoughts seep into the Astral through color pools, might be the cause of psychic winds in the Astral.
  

Types of portals:

• One-way: The majority of color pools are one way (from the Astral to another plane).
• Two-way: Very rare. "The side of the pool that does not open onto the Astral Plane is always invisible."  These have been discovered and catalogued, becoming common trading routes onto and off of the astral. In fact, a few trading towns have been built around these cross over points.
  

Peering in to a Pool: You can concentrate on a color pool and magically see what lies at its destination point. Only visual information - spells cannot be cast through the color pool. 

Peering through a pool is tiring and can only be done for 10 minutes per point of Constitution (after that, I guess in 5e the exhaustion rules kick in). You need a long rest before you can scry again.

My Plan: The group's ship can't shift between planes on its own. It needs to fly through portals. I am planning on saying that there is a portal to the Astral Plane in the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Spice, which allows the heroes to access the other planes from there via color pools.

I feel a little weird making color pools to the Shadowfell and the elemental planes. It is sort of like I'm "cheating" or doing it wrong. But for now, that's what I think I'm going to do.

The Githyanki Vessel

Our plan is in place. The heroes board their ship, the Spicejammer, and fly through a color pool, taking them to the Astral Plane. 

As they get close to the floating dead gods, a githyanki ship spots them. 

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes lists three githyanki ships on page 90. An astral skiff, an astral brigg, and a planar raider. The raider is fitted with ballistas and a catapult. 

I don't want to go full-blown sci-fi, but the planar raider seems a bit dull. So let's dig up Garaitha's Anvil (Dungeon #164), which has a really badass githyanki vessel in it. We're going to have to convert it to 5e, but it's worth it to me. Check out the weapons on this thing:

Force Ballista: +8 vs. AC; ranged 40; 3d10 force damage. It can magically generate one force bolt per round.

Spell Turret: This one is harder to convert, and could potentially be abused.

Spell turrets are designed to allow spellcasters to channel magical attacks against other ships and airborne combatants. A character in a spell turret can use the turret to direct any nonweapon ranged or area arcane or divine attack power.

"The magic of  a spell turret doubles the range of arcane and divine powers, and allows powers to target inanimate objects even if they normally cannot do so."

Githyanki War Galleon

• 30 feet by 115 feet
• Fly 60 feet (overland 75 feet)
• Crew: Does not require crew, the role of crew handled by psionic echoes.
• Ramming prow
• Can hold 50 creatures & 20 tons of cargo
  

Psychic Helm: This room is dominated by a complex device made of steel, crystal, and leather. This githyanki psychic helm keeps the ship aloft and maintains its crew of psychic memories. The helm seems to emit a faint screaming sound when in operation. This object requires regular infusions of souls in order to operate, something that can only be done in the docks of Tu’narath, the githyanki capital city on the Astral Plane. If the soul helm is destroyed, the ship’s psychic crew and ability to fly fades after 5 hours.

Crew of Psychic Echoes: Tasks usually handled by normal sailors are accomplished by the psychic echoes of deceased githyanki sailors. Translucent shimmers with no personality or ability to attack, they vanish if the psychic helm is destroyed.

Crenellations: Unlike most traditional ships, the sides of the githyanki war galleon have crenellations to help protect troops. Anyone on the deck has cover from enemies outside the ship who are not attacking from above.

Ramming Spike: Thirty feet long, this sharpened ramming spike is designed to penetrate enemy ships or huge foes. It is wielded by the ship’s pilot in the bridge.

Bridge: The entire ship is steered and controlled from this location. The room is relatively bare, boasting a runic circle on the floor and a ship’s wheel standing before it. Windows around this room allow the captain to see forward and arrow slits allow spellcasters to target attackers to port or starboard outside the ship with superior cover. The pilot of ship can attempt to make attacks against another ship with the ramming spike. 

Stats

One thing I love about modern D&D is that they give the ship a monster stat block! So simple. My group is actually flying around in a "hell ship" they obtained when they played through To Wake the Leviathan. 

I won't reprint the full stat block, but here's the basics: 

AC 17 HP 172 fly 90 ft swim 60 ft
Multiattack: 1 catapult, 2 ballistas

• Ballista: +8 to hit, rg 500/1500 ft., 13 (2d10+3) bludgeoning dmg
• Catapult: +8 to hit., rg 800/2400 ft., 16 (3d8+3) bludgeoning dmg

I'll probably use the same basic numbers for the githyanki ship, but I'll swap in the force ballistas and the spell turret.

Since the githyanki ship is crewed by intangible psionic echoes, that means that the actual physical githyanki on board can be however many I want for a single encounter:

• 4 githyanki warriors (MM pg 160)
  
• 1 githyanki anarch (Mordenkainen's pg 205)
  

I'll also say that a githyanki knight (MM pg 160) is piloting the ship, but they'll plane shift away if things go bad and the vessel is being overtaken/destroyed. 

The anarch will start off by using the spell turret, launching off fireball spells at the Spicejammer. Once the ships get close, the 4 githyanki warriors will fly (everyone can fly in the Astral Plane) and board the group's ship. Maybe the anarch will go invisible, slip onto the heroes' ship and try to kill the pilot (Linnet, the party's wizard). The anarch has good spells and a devastating melee attack: +7/+7, 8 bludgeoning + 18 psychic!

Once the githyanki threat is dealt with one way or the other, the heroes can fly to the remains of the dead god Maanzecorian. 

Who is Maanzecorian?

The heroes have fought off the githyanki and fly to the dead gods, massive floating islands - the remains of gods who died. Also known as "husks" or "god-isles."

I went through old products and dug up all the information I could find on Maanzecorian.

The Great Modron March

In this adventure, Orcus runs around killing gods with a power called "The Last Word." One such deity is Maanzecorian. In this adventure, the heroes happen to be near a temple of Maanzecorian and witness the fallout of the death of a god. We learn:

• Maanzecorian was the mind flayer god of knowledge and secrets.
• Its rival was the other mind flayer deity, Ilsensine.
• Tenebrous (aka Orcus) attacked Maanzecorian on the plane of Gehenna.
• Wisps of Maanzecorian's essence scatter from its dying form. Orcus stood over its corpse and was bathed in eons of collected secrets and bits of lore.
• Maanzecorian's entire Gehennan realm boiled away upon the deity's death.
• Ilsensine now becomes the unquestioned supreme deity of the mind flayers.

Monster Mythology

Maanzecorian actually has an entry in this 2e book! We learn:

• Maanzecorian is a vain philosopher-god, has vast library of arcane works in palace.
• Is a tall illithid, with purple/green skin and yellowed tusks.
• Has a silver crown that levitates above its head - gem is a gem of brightness.
• Symbol: Silver crown set with a red gem.
• Can call down a "weird" spell on a group of creatures.
• Priests of Maanzecorian pursue knowledge, explore new territory, exploit knowledge.

Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark

This book has a quick mention: The cenotaph of Maanzecorian was once a small house of worship for the cult of the "Philosoflayer."

Volo's Guide to Monsters

Get a load of this. Maanzecorian is in 5e! In Volo's Guide, it is explained that illithid deities are not really gods, but manifestations of ideal psionic and philosophical states that mind flayers revere. 

Maanzecorian:

• Embodies a complete comprehension of knowledge.
• "It is a state wherein memories, thoughts, and aptitudes are dredged up from one’s mind not one at a time as needed, but are all laid bare and brought to the fore at once."
• The perfect memories exhibited by aboleths have long fascinated mind flayers
  

For my campaign, I'm going to say that Maanzecorian was a physical being. 

Real quick, let's look at the aboleth entry in the Monster Manual:

Eternal Memories: Aboleths have flawless memories. Aboleths’ minds are treasure troves of ancient lore, recalling moments from prehistory with perfect clarity. They plot patiently and intricately across eons. 

So maybe in this adventure, in order for the group to learn secrets from the dead god, they need to re-order their minds and attempt to achieve the "perfect" state of mind known as Maanzecorian.

Dragon Magazine #240 - Mysteries of the Dead Gods

Now we need to detail the god-isle, using material from Monte's article. 

The Goal: My group is coming here to find out what the lifebane is, and how the magic sigils factor into it (all stuff that comes from Labyrinth of Madness, which the group will play through once they hit around 18th level).

Here's the main thing I need to figure out: How do I turn this into multiple encounters? The group will probably fly right for the giant crown with the gem on it (on the head of Maanzecorian), learn what they need, and then leave. 

How do I get them to explore the whole isle without making it feel cheap? I don't want to do a "you must obtain these 5 keys to unlock what you need to know" scenario. 

After a lot of thought and reflection, looking out the window as rain pours down, listening to the call of crows, hearing the faint sounds of a sultry saxophone, I think I've got it. 

Touching the Crown: The heroes arrive. They land on/near the head. They touch the pulsing red gem on the crown. If you have a perfectly-ordered mind, if you have "achieved" Maanzecorian, you can commune with the gem and learn what you want to know. If not, you are hit with a mind blast: 

• DC 17 Intelligence saving throw or take 31 (4d12 + 5) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
  

Obviously, the heroes don't have a perfectly-ordered mind. The character who touched the red gem will have a vague understanding - only those who can achieve a perfect mind state can commune with it. 

They key to achieving this state lies here on the dead god - though allowing Maanzecorian into your mind could change you profoundly. 

One effect from getting hit with the mind blast is that the characters will have a dull sense of what to do next - the God Husk imparts this knowledge to those strong enough to survive its attack. The group will need to do the following things in order:

1. See Maanzecorian.
2. Listen to the Bonethriven.
3. Smell the Black Lily.
4. Devour the Godflesh.
   
5. Touch the Crown once more.
   

Exploring the God-Isle: From there, the heroes can explore the island. At least one character will have to consume the energies of the isle, which will re-order their minds, giving them a perfect memory.

Now we can populate the god-isle with my favorite things from Monte's article, making each an encounter of one kind or another. We'll combine it with information from Monte's section on dead gods from A Guide to the Astral Plane.

A Guide to the Astral Plane - Forgotten Husks: Dead Gods

"The corpse of a god is not flesh. Flesh is inconsequential to divinity. The corpse of a god is memories, wars, heroes, regrets, sacrifices, prayers - the stuff of significance."

God-Isles:

• 1d100 x 50 feet long, 1/4th wide
• Unique conditions
• 40% have gravity.

I'll say Maanzecorian is 3,000 feet long, 750 feet wide. Has gravity, though I think that it would be cool for the group to be able to walk around to the "underside/back."

Now I'll go through the article in Dragon, grab the ideas that I like best, and make mini-encounters out of them. I think I'll tie each encounter to one of the senses - See, hear, taste, touch, and smell:

Memory Aura: As the heroes walk on the rocky god isles, a memory aura washes over them - they experience a memory from Maanzecorian's life. I want them to see the gith enslaved, tending to the fields of husks (as described in my guide to the githzerai). I might also want the group to experience Maanzecorian being slain by The Last Word. 

I also like the idea of the group experience each other's memories. Maybe before the session, I'll ask the players each to write down one memory they have - maybe a secret, or something important to them. Then, when they hit the memory aura, each character experiences a memory a random ally. 

Ultimately, I'll have it where the group starts taking psychic damage and will need to will themselves out of the aura, DC 15 CON save each round, something like that.

Mysterious Mineral: This crystal bonethriven, a massive assembly tube with 12 stops plays on its own. The "music" is horribly intense and is imbued with psionic energy. It plays a song of suggestion. As you get close to it, your mind becomes jumbled. Basically, this thing will "Reset" your mind, leaving you under the effects of a confusion spell until you get to the next encounter.

Mysterious Plant: In a field of black grass and ebony trees, there are large, lily-like plants with tendrils that hover and sway. A character who mind has been "reset" must come here, sit down and inhale. The viny tendrils will shoot up into the nose and touch the brain, "re-wiring it."

The character's mind is now becoming able to achieve Maanzecorian. I dug up some info on Illithid psychology from the Illithiad. The character will now struggle with the following thoughts:

• The Essential Fiction: "Life with the elder brain represents the highest form of being."
• Dominion is Life: Domination of others is key to success. Having a thrall is very important to a mind flayer.
• Darken the Light: Sunlight causes discomfort - destroying all suns is an overarching goal.
• Emotions: They feel primarily frustration, and will continue to do so until they achieve domination and mastery. "Discontent subtly colors every other emotion, thought, and action."
• Concept of Time: Only the present matters. The past is a fluctuating medium. Only an elder brain records historical events. The future is only an as-yet-unrealized portion of the present.

I don't want the character to turn evil, I just want to emphasize that what they are going through will have profound effects. They are still the same person, but they are now struggling inside with all of these weird new personality quirks and assumptions.

Godquake: The dead god stirs! At this point, there is a "godquake." The husk's natural defenses are starting to kick in, and it is forming a guardian from its godflesh. The godquake is essentially an ongoing earthquake spell.

From a rift rises the guardian - a brainstealer dragon. Maybe more than one (this group has a tendency to polymorph their enemies... I don't want this encounter to be an anti-climax). This monster is from Dragon Magazine #337. The group is 12th level, so we'll re-skin an appropriate monster - an adult green dragon. It's CR 15, which is a "hard" encounter for four 12th level heroes. 

It has tiny pale purple scales, wings are fleshy layers of skin, four long tentacles. Eyes are two white lidless orbs. "Mind flayer breeding programs occasionally create terrors even elder brains cannot control."

Adult Brainstealer Dragon
Huge dragon, Lawful Evil

AC 19 HP 207 (18d12+90) Spd 40 ft., fly 80 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR 23 (+6) DEX 12 (+1) CON 21 (+5) INT 18 (+4) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 17 (+3)

• Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +10, Wis +7, Cha +8
• Skills Deception +8, Insight +7, Perception +12, Persuasion +8, Stealth +6
• Damage Immunities Acid
• Senses Blindsight 60 ft., Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 22
• Languages Deep Speech, Undercommon, telepathy 120 ft.
  

Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). The dragon's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 18). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no components:

• At will: detect thoughts, levitate
• 1/day each: dominate monster, plane shift (self only)

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Actions

Multiattack. The dragon can use its Frightful Presence. It then makes three attacks: one with its tentacles and two with its claws.

Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 18) and must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or be stunned until this grapple ends.

Extract Brain. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one incapacitated humanoid grappled by the mind flayer. Hit: The target takes 55 (10d10) piercing damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the mind flayer kills the target by extracting and devouring its brain.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: (2d6 + 6) slashing damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.

Frightful Presence. Each creature of the dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the dragon and aware of it must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the dragon's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. 

Mind Blast (Recharge 5–6). The dragon magically emits psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or take 56 (16d6) psychic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Legendary Actions
The Adult Brainstealer Dragon can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Adult Brainstealer Dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of their turn.

• Detect. The dragon makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
• Tentacles Attack. The dragon makes a tentacles attack.
• Extract Brain (Costs 2 Actions). The dragon makes an extract brain attack.
  

Final Task: Eat some of the brainstealer dragon's brain. The character is essentially consuming godflesh. Doing this allows them to achieve the full state of Maanzecorian.

Using the Crown: Now the characters can return to the crown. Anyone who has acieved the state of Maanzecorian can touch the crown and commune with it. The character can ask 3 questions, to be answered psychically by whatever remains of the mind flayer god.

Here, the group can learn things relevant to the campaign:

What is the Lifebane? Vast dark matter, spreading throughout the planes. A malevolent, semi-sentient entity of chaos and evil, that will slowly corrupt the entire multiverse - ultimately giving demons free reign and utter rulership.

What are the Sigils? The sigils are the multiverse's way of protecting against the lifebane. Acquiring the 20 sigils gives a path to the source of the lifebane and ways to defeat it.

The one thing they can't learn is where the source of the lifebane is. This information is blocked by the lifebane itself.

I might have the god husk point out that right now, the lifebane is corrupting the Graven Ones - the awesome NPCs from the next Monte Cook adventure in this "path" - Demon God's Fane.