Dead In The Eye

8/11/2019 Dead In The Eye

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2/18

DE D IN THE EYE

ROLEPL YING G ME

DVENTURE

Jobe ittman


3/18

610

Bl0l04

00HN

FIn .

Prln.lng'

J u n ~ 2012

98765 4 12

CREDITS

Design

Jobe

Bittman

Development

Chris Sims

Editing

Miranda Horner

Managing Editor

Kim

Mohan

Development and Editing Lead

Jeremy Crawford

D&D Senior Produc

er

Christopher Perkins

D&D

Producer

Greg Bilsland

D&D Senio r Group Manager

Mike Mearls

Senior Creative Director

Jon

Schlndehette

U.

S.

, CANADA,

AS

I

A, PAC

ifIC ,

"tATIN AMERICA

WI.ard.

of.ho: Co;o

ltC

P.O. Box 707

Ren.on

WA 980570707

+1

80 0

314

6496

Art Director

Kate Irwin

Graphic

De

signer

Christopher Brittain

Cover Illustration

Matias Tapia

Ca

rtographer

Sean Macdonald

D&D

Brand Team

Liz

Schuh,

laura

Tommervlk, Shelly

Mauanoble,

Chris Lindsay, Hilary Ross

Pu blish ing Prod

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t ion Manag

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OYH

GREAT

BRITAIN

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keep

.hl

f


4/18

INTRODUCTION

There

are thin8s this

world was

not meant to see. Have you

tasted

o

he

aibberins

sea

o

madness or heard the screams

of

stars? i

you

had,

you

would not

askfoolish questions.

Some thinS5

can

never

be

unseen. That is why

we

fi8ht.

That

is w y we

bleed. So our children may live yet another

day in i8T1orance

o

he Far Realm,

- Arak Logan, defender of he Celestian Order

A powerful beholder and its followers are cutting a

swa

th

of murder and mayhem across the countryside,

but a secret society of primal protectors

is

hot on the

group s trail. The protectors have cornered

the

vil

lains in a cave, but they haven t flushed them out yet.

The leader of the protectors has sent emissaries into

the

surrounding

lands looking for champions to deal

with the th reat.

~ e a d ill the Eye is a

DUNGEONS

DRAGONS l

adventure deSigned for a party

of

fi ve characters of

levels 8-10. The adventure is based

in

the FORGOTTEN

REALM

S setting in

the

Thornwood, not far from

the

Plaguewrought Land. It

can

be relocated to any set

ting that has been touched by the Spellplague.

BACKGROUND

The

Keepers of he Celestian

Order

(see Dra80n 375),

a secret society of protectors of he natural world,

has stood as a silent

bulwark

against incursions

from the Far Realm for decades. The order s hierar

chy is decentralized and opaque even to many of its

members. Composed of several smaller clandestine

gro

up

s,

the

organization includes

the

Concord

of

Swords,

the

Black Arrows, and

the

Tigers of Light.

All work in concert to eradicate threats from the Far

Realm, but

the

affiliation of each group within

the

Celestian Order

is

known only

to the

core leadership

of

the member

groups. The organization s structure

is critical to its survival. f agents of the Far Realm

learned

of

a group s affiliation to

the

order, they

would destroy the group.

Today, the ranks of the Celestian

Order are

thin

ning while

the

agents of

the

Far Realm grow in

power. Sensing weakness in the order, powerful

beings from the Far Realm have started raiding the

world in earnes t. The Black Arrows, a Celestian

Order group

operating in the Vilhon Wilds, recently

learned that a powerful beholder known as Omaran

thax was

spo

tted, along with its minions, near

the

Plaguewrought Land.

Arak

Logan,

the

leader of

the

Black Arrows, set out in immediate

pursu

it.

Omaranthax

Omaranthax has battled the Celestian Order more

than once, and

the

cruelty of

the

bellOlder has grown

into legend as a result of past conflict,

The

most nota

ble

encounter occurred many

years ago in the Raurin

Desert when Omaranthax assaulted

th

e oasis town of

Ragheb in

the

dead of night_ The beho.lder sought

to

steal a large amount of a strange elixir known as had-

drum,

which

is

distilled from dragon blood, One

of

the

beholder s

more

infamous tactics in its successful

attempt at theft was collapsing a portion of the city s

stormwall on frightened citizens. Alzubra, a tiefling

protector

ofthe

town. turned back

the

follow-up

attacks with

the

assistance

of the

Tigers

of

Light, but

it

was already too late to foi/the beholder s

th

eft. When

the sun

rose over

the

oasis, no less

than

a thousand

corpses were

strewn

across

the

smoldering rubbie of

the ci ty.

Although

the

Celestians

can

only guess aI Oma

ranthax s motives for

the

theft,

the beholder

schemes

to gain

the

strength to further its crusade against

all people of the

natural

world. After

the

attack at

Ragheb, Omaranthax disappeared into the Under

dark for years, researching arcane rituals, and it has

since

strengthened

both itselfand its ability to fulfill

its long-term plans.

Now the beholder is nearly ready to act. Om a

ranthax created a dangerous

new

ritual to magnify

its destructive magic.

t then traveled to

the

Plague

wrought Land to harness the raw power of the

Spellplague and amplify

the

ritual s effects,

but

it was

unprepared for

the

enormous toll

the

resulting magic

wo uld take on its form.

The

unbridled power of the

Spellplague mutated

the

beholder s

body

beyond rec

ognition. Omaranthax s eyes exploded in a violent

burst of blue energy_ Fanged jaws burst from its eye

stalks. Its

em

pty central eye socket

sprou

ted mul

tiple sets

of

fangs. Biue light snaked through its veins,

bright enough to glow through its thick skin, A new

eye

emerged

from its jaws_ The beholder has fleeting

visions that allow it to spy on its

enemies

remotel

y.

Omaranthax

might be disfigured beyond recognition,

but it is rapidly transforming into something greater.

The Black Arrows recently found

Omaranthax s

trail heading west into Winterwood. At Thornwash,

the defenders attempted to flank Omaranthax and its

minions, but the beholder fled north, leaving some

of its followers

behind

to fight. The Black Arrows

suffered Illany losses as they harried the beholder s

entourage in a

running

battle.

Keeping out of Sight, the beholder crossed into

the Thornwood and disappeared into a cave in the

Cloven Mountains. After the Black Arrows caught

up

to

it, one of their scouts determined

that the

cave had

no exit. At last, the Black Arrows had Omaranthax

trapped.

Or

so they thought.


5/18

The group immediately began fortifying its posi

tion outside the cave to prevent the beholder s escape.

Since then, the beholder has tested those who have

it

trapped in the cave, but it has not broken through

the Black Arrows blockade. Omaran thax s foul

spawn minions are repelling all attempts to extract

the beholder, though,

Tn

the last assault, a team orthe

Black Arrows hardiest warriors successfully infil

tr

ated

the

cave. No sign of the team has been seen for

two days.

SYNOPSIS

Arak Logan, leader

of

the Black Arrows. has trapped

a powerful creature from the Far Realm in a cave,

His forces are weakened.

and

he needs the heroes

to help him defeat

the

beholder. To draw

the

charac

ters into this adventure . you

can

set

up

a scenario in

which a messenger begs the party to return with her

to the cave.

When the characters ar rive. Logan enlists them to

kill

or

capture

Omaranthax.

To

defeat

the

beholder,

the characters must break through the line offoul

spawn defending the cave mouth. Beyond the

antechamber,

Omaranthax

has placed powerful

magiC wards to delay its pursuers . Once the

charac

ters solve the mystery

of

the ward, they can proceed

deeper into the complex.

In a side cavern, the characters might run afoul

of

a cave roper. The roper ate the last

group

who

entered, but one survivor offers th e party a small

amount

of

aid.

Deeper still, the party tracks Omaranthax through

holes he has created

in

a desperate effort to escape.

His foulspawn cohorts have set up an

ambush

designed to flank the party.

When

the adventurers catch up with the beholder,

they discover not one beholder but four (three

of

wh ich are actually gas spores). Omaranthax s physi

ology has been hideously

warped

by its exposure to

the Plaguewrought Land, and it is slowly transform

ing into something else.

It demands

the adventurers

submit to captivity or be destroyed.

A vicious battle ensues. Near the middle of

the

battle, Omaranthax

nres at

the ceiling, triggering a

collapse. The characters have to make the difficult

decision to capture the beholder while stalactites fall

around them or finish off their dangerous adversary

before escaping.

QUESTS

Characters

can

gain additional experience points by

completing the follow quests.

Bring Back

the Ghost

9th-level Major Quest 400 XPlcharacter)

Arak Logan, who needs to question the beholder,

can

provide

the

characters with a tool to

bring

back

Oma

ranthaxs spirit for later use in ritual magiC.

Find

the

Lost

10th-level Minor Quest

100 XP/character)

A team of Black Arrows infiltrated the cave two days

ago but has not been heard from since then. Rescue

or discover the fate

of

the team to complete the quest.

EVENTS

This adventure consists of a series of events meant to

be run in

the order

presented below.

Event 1: Black Blockade

Roleplaying

Encounter

The adventure begins once the heroes reach the

forest clear ing where the Black Arrows have trapped

the beholder and its minions.

To

begin the adventure

, read:

Dense fores t

opens

ahead illto all

expansive cleari1l8, and

a sheer cliffat tltefoot o ile Cloven

MoulIIains

borders it

all

one side.

The

dearinn

bus

tl

es

w

ith

activity

as 8roups

o

people

draalarae

tress

to

add

to the palisade they re co n

struc

til18 around

a cave. Wooden sp ik

es

j ut from the wall,

pointiJia toward

the

cave.

A bald, arizzled half-elfwarr ior wit

hone

arm

in

a

slina

barks

orde

rs at aile work party

while

directilla them with

hisaood

arm.

Whellhe lIotices you hewavesfor

yo

u to

approach him .

rak

ogan

Arak Logan is the leader

of

the Black Arrows, a

splinter cell of the Celestian Order. (He would never

admit this fact to those outside the order.) Arak s mis

sion is to defeat

Omaranthax

at all costs.

The half-elfis bald and scarred, and he has a

squinty left eye. He is also ornery

and

stubborn. As

a young man, an encounter with the mind-altering

terror

of

the Far Realm forever changed him. Rather

th an go mad, he locked away the trauma deep in his

mind,

but

i t

manifests as a

burning

desire to destroy

all aberrant creatures. Arak has a good heart , but

his experience left

him

unbalanced. He is prone to


6/18

ramble venomously about the horrific sights he has

witnessed

in

hi

s career.

Arak s sword

arm

was broken in

an

earlier skir

mish . and i t prevents him from leading another

assault. Arak is also concerned about the fate

of

the

te

am

of

Black Arrows that

ha

s not

returned

from the

cave for days, but he cannot spare anyone to search

for them . Due to such losses, the outlook looks

grim

for

the Black Arrows, but Arak is unflappable in

hi

s

conviction

that

the beholder will not escape.

Arak hopes to convince the adventurers to hunt

down Omaranthax while the Black Arrows hold the

line. He has little to offer in return, but he docs his

best to impress upon the adventurers the danger the

beholder presents to the world. Knowing

that

the

beholder

ha

s been engaged in magical research, Arak

openly speculates that Omaranthax and its entourage

probably have a decent

amount

of treasure.

I

f the party agrees to infiltrate the cave, Arak

makes two requests. Capturing Omaranthaxs spirit

would be a huge victory for the Black Arrows, who

could then use rituals to interrogate

and

study the

beholder. Arak al

so

wants members

of

his warrior

team res

cued

or to hear news

of

heir fate. Both

of

these requests are quests in the adventure.

The

Black Arrow

commander

doesn't downplay

the difficulty

of

capturing the beholder, but he offers

a

dead

word

s manacle

to aid in the quest.

Price: 5.

000

gp

Wondrous Item

Property

You gain a + 5 Item bo

nu

s

to

t he Re

lig

io

n check

fo

r a 5

J>e

ak with

Dead ritual

that tr

e

at

s the manacle as a creatu re

s

corpse. If

yo

u are able to ask

the

mana

cl

e any questions as a r

es

ult of

th

e

5

J>eak

with

De

ad ritual,

yo

u can ask one extra qu

es

ti

on.

t

Attilck Power. DOilly (Standard Action)

Attack: M

el

ee 1 (on e

bl

ood ied creature granting co

mbat

advantage to yo u); +13 vs. Reflex

Hit: You

attach

th

e manacle to

th

e

ta

rge

t. If the

target

dies

while wearing

th

e mana

cl

e,

th

e ma nacle

Is

considered

to

be the ta rge t s corpse for the purlWSe of a Speak with Dead

ritual. The manacl e can act as the corpse of only one target

In this way, so

It

Is always considered to be the corpse of the

mo

st

re

ce

nt

target to

di

e while wearing

it

. The mana

cl

e can

be removed from

the

target only during a r

est

and as a s

tan

dard ac

ti

on.

MisS This power is not expe

nd

ed.

Lo

re

Arak Logan and

the

Black Arrows

free

ly share

their

knowledge. They know the following information.

Arak Logan recounts the tale

of

he attack on

Ragheb, as detailed in the Background section.

An

archer

claims to have caught a glimpse

of

Omaranthax before it

ent

ered the cave. She insists

that tbe beholder looked gravely wounded.

A

drunk

half-ore insists Omaranthax isn't a

beholder. It's some sort of plaguechanged dragon.

A scout saw Omaranthax breathe

fl

re, but the

scout died in a skirmish two days ago.

A malodorous dwarf alleges

that

Omaranthax

is

a

mutated vampire. Nothing with that many teeth

could be anything else. He gives the party a bunch

of

garlic bulbs

and

tells them to wear them around

their necks to ward off he beholder.

Concl usion

When

the characters arc read

y,

the Black Arrows

direct them to the palisade wall near

the

cave.

When

the adventurers are

ready,

read:

Whispers callh the Wind,

and

heads turn as YOII approach

fhe

blockade wall. Members o he Black Arrows

slowly part

to

allowyou

to

pass. The defenders are weary and beaten

down . Some ofrhe injured look as i hey would never rise

were they to resffheir heads for

even a

moment. A 8 imy

soldier

unbars

a makeshift door

in

the defenSive wall

which

is hastily slammed behind you after you pass throu8h it

Beyond

the

pal isade rhe enormous openill8

in

the

mOllntainside

looms

ominollsly. You

sense

no movement,

bill a

vile presence permeates the

air. Se\'eralltundred feet

o rockY8'ound

between the

wa

ll and rhe cave

is spatlered

with

dried blood and

visce

ra.AmoIl8 le bodies o wisted

aberrant humanoids. a

tieJlin8

corpse

that 110 one has

dared

to retrieve lies

near the

mouth o

he cave. The

foul

reek offilth and death threaten

fO

dloke you.

Event 2: Storming the Cave

Combat

Encounter

Level

12 (3,850

XP)

Omaranthax 's foulspawn have

made

several attempts

to

break

through

the

blockade, but the Black Arrows

have beaten them back each time. The

foulspawn

have ret reated back into the cavern to regroup for the

next attack. Having faced one team of Black Arrow

warriors. they lurk in hiding so

that

invaders do not

immediately see them.

Light: Dim light from the Scintillating fungi.

Monsters:

2 foulspawn berserkers

(B),

1 foul

spawn warpcaller (F), 10 foulspawn wretches (W).

Hazards:

4 far mus

hroom

patches.


7/18

When

t

he characters approach the area, read:

The enormous cavernsradttaUy srows smaller. You hear

'he patler o

rapid

foolsteps. ami ,lIen all is silent. The

passase

opens into

a chamber

with

a

hiSh ceilins

. Shado y

nidles dot the

walls

from ceilill8 to floor. Mush room

parc

h

es

faintly

pulse

widt the

colors

of

he

rainbow.

A/leat/

of

you.1ar8e pillars

of

rock

divide the r

oom and block

l,ision. The vile ollor

Brows

stron8er.

Niches: The rock niches are 5 feet above the

ground. rf a wretch hides within one. a character who

can see into the niche might notice the creature (DC

25 passive Perception). Looking into a niche requires

the character to take a minor action, but

if

the

char

acter does so, he or she automatically sees any wretch

within the niche .

Rubble: Large rocks strewn across the floor create

an area

of

difficult terrain.

Treasure: The

warpcaller has a leather satchel.

Among other oddments.

t

contains

an

iridescent

black pearl (500 gp).

Tactics: All the monsters prefer to wait until

invaders come deeper into the chamber before

attacking. Given their positions and aggressiveness.

the berserkers are most likely

to

be spotted first.

Wretches concealed in niches wait for the party to

pass. delaying if necessary. lfthey go unnoticed, they

clamber out to attack dIe characters from behind

with combat advantage on

their

initial attack. There

after, they teleport around to gain combat advantage.

Berserkers fight savagely to keep the party from

reaching the warpcaller, even provoking opportunity

attacks

to

push the characters back. The berserkers

prefer to stay within 5 squares

of

the warpcaller to

gain the benefit

of

its

warped sendins

power.

The warpcaller always starts by unleashingwarp-

mind field

in

the characters' path.

It

places the zone

so

that the characters have

to

move

deeper

into the

room to avoid it. possibly onto the far mushroom

patches,

and to

prevent escape. After that, t sustains

the zone

and

uses warped sendina resorting

to

twisted

dismissal to escape a melee attacker.

Far Mushroom Patches

When Omaranthax

passed through the area, energy

crackling from its body infused patches

of

mush

rooms with potent Far Realm energy infused with the

twisted magic the

beho

lder now has.

4 Far Mushroom

Pa t

ches

level

9 Hazard

TerraIn

XP

400 l ,l ( h

Detect

automatic

Initiative -

Immune see Countermeasures

Identify (Arcana, Dungeoneerlng, InSight,

1)1"

Nature)

+ DC

17: The character recognizes

that

the taint

of

the

Far

Realm has corrupted

the

mushrooms. making them a hazard.

+ DC

25: The character understands the reality manipulation

countermeasure Is available before he

or

she Is attacked.

T IGGEREO

ACTIONS

+

ttack {polson, te eportatlon}

+

AtWl

Il

Tri88er:

A non-aberrant creature enters a square

of

the hnard

or starts its turn there.

Attack (Opportunity Action): Melee 1 (the triggering creature);

+

2

'OS. Will

HIt: Roll

a

d6 to

determine

the

effect.

J The target

Is

blinded until the

end of

Its next turn.

GJ

The target gains phasing until

the

end

of Its

nextlUrn.

Zl

The target takes ongoIng

15

polson damage (save ends).

[; )

The target teleports up

to

5 squares.

[3]

The target is restrained until

the

end

of

its next turn.

[ ] The target gains

10

temporary hit points.

Miss;

5 polson damage.

'.i @@I\IBi li

+

Attack: Each square

of

mushrooms has

AC

21, Fortitude 1S,

Reflex 5,Will - , and 1 hit point. The mushrooms are Immune

to necrotic. poison,

psy


8/18

2 F o u l ~ p a w n B e r ~ e r l c e r ~ (B) Level 9 Soldier

M"dun" db"rrdnt human",d

XP 400 > ~ , h

HP

1 01;

Bl

ood ied 51

AC 15, For t

it

ud e 13 (15 while bloodied),

Reflex 10, Will 10

Speed 7

(9

while bloodied)

Immune fear

T lA

i l

S

) Be

rseriter

Au ...

+

Aura

1

Initi

at

ive

+7

Perception +0

l ow-light vision

When a creature within the aura makes a melee attack.

it

must

choose Its

ta

rget

at

ra

ndom from the potential targets

In

range.

Me

nt a

l F

eed

bKk (psychk)

Whenever a creature targets the berserker with a charm attack,

the creature 10

Attack: Melee 1 (one creature): +14 V$. AC. or +1 6 V$. AC while

the berserker is bloodied

Hit;

ld

l 0 + 6 damage, or 2d10 + 10 while the berserker

Is

bloodied.

Be

rseriter Cu rge + AtWlIl

Effect: The berserker charges, and the charge attack deals 5

extra damage on a hit.

Sb 18 (+8) Dex 11 +5) Wis 3 (+0)

Con 12 +10)

I

nt 8

(+3)

Clui 11 (+5)

Alig

nm

ent chaotic evil l anguag

es

Deep Speech, telepathy 10

Equi p

me

nt greatsword

10 o u l ~ p a w n

Wretches

(W ) Level 7

Minion

S l c i r m i ~ h e r

Small abf'rrant humanoid XP

e a ~ h

HP 1: a missed atrack never damages a minion .

AC 11, Fort i

tud

e 19, Reflex 20, Will 19

Initiative +

10

Pen:eptlon +S

I

Any enemy adjacent to two or more foulspawn wre tches takes

A

ock:

Me lee 1 (one creature); +11 V$. AC

Hit: 7 damage. and a foulspawn wretch ally within 6 squares

can teleport to a square adjacent to the target.

TIlIGGElHD

ACHONS

Screaml. , . Echo (teleportatlon)

Trl er:

The wretch drops to 0 hit points.

Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The wretch teleports a nonmin

Ion a

ll

y within 6 squares

o

Itself to the square the wretch

occupies.

Str 14 +S)

Con 16 (+6)

Alignment evil

Dex 20 +8)

Int

16

(+6)

Wis 14 (+5)

Ctwl

l l

(+6)

l anguages Deep Spee.::h, te lepat hy 10

Foulspawn Warpcaller (F) Level 12 Controller (Leader)

Medium dlJP ..am humanuld XP 700

HP 116; Bloodied 63

AC 26, Fo rtitude 14, Reflex 12, Will 24

Sp

ee

d 6, teleport 3

o

Dronll1l Pipe +

Au

ra 3

Attacl


9/18

through the southern entry passage leads the party to

the Event 2 encounter area.

1b successfully navigate the ward, the characters

must follow a specific pattern. They must use the

left passage (shaded in blue on the map) in room A,

and the right passage (also shaded in blue) in room

B. No matter which exit they first choose in room C,

the characters loop back to the southern entry pas

sage in room A The second exit they choose in room

C, though, leads oul

of

the false maze.

Omaranthax

designed this simple ruse to prevent invaders from

guessing the correct sequence on the first pass,

while still a llowing its minions to come back to him

through a convoluted

means

.

Take notes while running this encounter. Once the

players discover that the maze consists of multiple

rooms, they ll come tip with ways to identify rooms

and other strategies [ navigate the maze. Write

everything they do down so that you know how

to

react to and describe the results of later actions. Your

notes help the ward puzzle adhere to its own internal

lo

gic. rfit fails

to

do

so

. th e players might not deduce

the solution.

In

the

un

likely event that the characters

introduce a paradox you cannot resolve, the magic of

the ward forces

them

to loop back to room A and st

art

the

maze over.

Each time the party walks through a northern exit

passage, reread the read-aloud text. Using your notes

on any changes the characters might have

made

to

each room, you can add descriptions of such changes.

These clues help the players know where the charac

ters are in the maze.

Example

: Start with five characters in room

A

One walks down th e left passage, one walks down

the middle passage,

and

one walks

down

the right

passage. Two stay in room

A.

After a few moments,

the adventurers who walked middle and right walk

up room A s southern entry passage beh ind the 1\ 0

party members who stayed in room

A.

The character

who went left finds an empty room that seems to be

id

entical to

the

last. She could shout back to the rest

of

the party to

go

down the left tunnel.

Skill Checks

The

following skill checks

can

come into play while

the party traverses the ward.

Arcana DC 17 Detect Magic): The entire area

gives offa magical

aura

. The magic affects the mifld

and senses. It cou ld involve dimensional

tr

avel, too.

The magic has no source.

Dungeoneering DC 17: Although the passages

between chambers twist from side to side, they pro

ceed in a single overa ll direction. After the characters

have passed through any northern passage, they real

ize that the passages are not long enough to circle

back on themselves the way they seem to.


10/18

Perception DC

17: The second time

the

heroes

enter a given room, success on thi s check means

the

character s

pot

s

the

earlier footprints leading through

the

passages they have already traversed.

Conclusion

When the

characters successfully traverse

the

maze,

they gain

OO

XP

each.

Event 4: Black Arrow Found

Roleplaying Encounter and Combat Encounter

Level 6

1,400

XP)

Almost all ofthe team of Black Arrows warriors

died

in this chamber when they ran afoul of a roper.

The team s lone survivor huddles in

an

alcove at

the

northern end of he room, too frightened to attempt

escape.

Light: None. The descriptions assu

me the charac

ters have a light source.

Monsters:

1 cave roper

C).

Other

Creatures:

Kilna

Stumpshine

K).


11/18

When

the

characters

can see the area, read:

Tlte way ahead

widens

int o

a ifJ ce ilinaed Wolto

fil1ed

witll stalactites and sta

laamites Naturalfeatures

here

seem

warped. perhaps by

the

passing o Omara

nth

ax ancl its

forces.

One o he stalagm

it

es leans

askew. and

a slow drip

of wa ter sends echoes reverberati

na

throush the chamber.

Tlte

al

im ofmewl all Ihe

floo

r

draws

your

eye

to wen

rOilS.

shields.

ancl

bits

o

equipmenl

and armor scat/ered

around

tearea.

Highest

Passive

Perception: The character spots

the pool and identifies it as blood. Those who look up

spot the roper's larder. See ~ l o o d Pool below.

Perception DC

28:

The character spots the dis

tinctive outline of a roper's so litary eye and maw.

When the cha racters

can

see Kilna, read:

Hudd led in

n

corner o nn

nlcove. hU

8,9

r

a

hi

s knees, is

a

blood

s pmrered gnome in leather nrmor ' hen he spots

you,

his

eyes

widen

and he

weaklyexle

nd

s a tremblina

lwnd in

your

direction

beJoreJail ing

bnck

inst

the

wall.

Bl

ood

Pool: Halfeaten remains that the cave

roper has impaled on stalactites are the source

of

the

dripping sound. Dripping blood has gathered in a

slick near the center of the room.

Ceiling: The ceiling

is

20 feet high. although

some stalactites hang down 5 or 10 feet.

Treasure:

Near its napping place. the roper has

450 gp, two opals 500 gp each), and one magic item

of

the party's level Id4

Roper

Interactions

Bloated and lethargic from its recent feast. the roper

is

napp

ing.

If

the characters succeed on a DC 17

group Stealth check,

the

roper remains asleep . If they

fail, the monster awakens.

It

then glares at the party

and mocks them.

If

it's awake,

and

you decide

it

can speak to the

characters, the sated roper demands treasure for safe

passage through its territory. It's willing to take any

thing that's worth around

500

gp, such as the pearl

from the last encounter, The characters can also try

to persuade (DC

20

Bluffor Diplomacy) or bully (DC

28 Intimidate) the roper into letting

them

pass. Base

the check on roleplaying,

and

allow a failure or two

before initiating any combat.

If asked, the roper can confirm that Omaranthax

passed through the cavern with a large number of

foulspawn. The aberrant creatures fa iled

to

notice the

roper in its stalagmite disguise.

If the characters attack the roper, it fights back.

The shaded area on

the

map shows its initial reach.

Given its fullness, it prefers not to move, instead

attacking those within its reach, favoring anyone car

rying garlic, lfhard pressed, it retreats 10 fight from

the ceiling.

Cave Roper (Cl level 12 Elite Controller

Larl:r f'1f'mf'nt,ll

nl.lRlu,1 bea.t e ~ r l h ) XP

1 DO

HP 252: BloodIed

126

AC

26, Fortitude 26, Reflex 21. Will 23

Speed

2.

climb 2 (spider climb)

S


12/18


13/18

looking for flanking opportunities. Meanwhile, the

seer han

gs

back far enough to avo

id

melee but

to

keep

allies in its aura.

It

teleports to escape melee attackers

or damaging attacks.

2

Foulspawn

Berserkers (B) Level 9

Soldier

Me,hum ,1hl'rrJllt hurnJ,ml u

XP 400

(,Jch

HP 102; Bloodied 51

AC

25.

Fortitude

23

(25 while bloodied).

Reflex

20. Will 20

Speed

7 (9 while bloodied)

Immun

e fear

0

Berserller Aura

+

Aura 1

Initiative +7

Perception +0

lo w

light vision

When a creature within

the

aura makes a melee attack,

It

must

choose its target at random from

the

potential targets

In

range.

Menul Feedback

(psyt:hk)

Whenever

a

creature targets

the

be

rserker with a charm attack.

Attock: Melee 1 (one creature); +14 vs. AC . or +16 vs. AC while

the

berserker

is bloodied

Hit;

2d10

+ 6 damage, or 2dlO + 10 damage while

the

ber

serker

is

bloodied.

+ erserker ChafJl + AtWIII

Effect: The berserker charges. and

the

cha rge attack deals 5

extra damage on a hit.

Str 18 (+8) Dex 12 (+5) Wis 3 (+0)

Con 22 (+10) Int 8 (+3) Cha 12 (+5)

Alignment

chaotic evil

language

s

Deep

Speech, telepathy 1

0

Equipment greatsword

6

Foulspawn Wretche

s (W ) le vel 7 Minion

Sk

i

rmisher

Sm., i

lwrr,rrH h"m.""",1 XI' ,,. h

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.

AC 21,

Fortitude

19, Reflex 20,

Will

19

5

ed 6,tele

rt2

Cuseless

Murmurs

InttlatlVO '

+

10

Perception

+5

Lo

w i

hI vision

Any

enemy

adjacent to

two or

more foulspawn

wretches

takes

a

-2 pena

lty to Will.

STANI)AIW A

CTIONS

D

a-

+

At

,WlIl

Attack; Melee 1 (one crea tu re); +12 vs. AC

Hit; 7 damage, and a foulspawn

wretch

ally within 6 squares

Screaml ,

Echo (te leportatlOfl)

Trigger: The wretch drops

to 0

hit points.

Effect (ImmedIate Interrupt); The wretch te lep o

rt

s a nonmin

Ion ally withIn 6 squares of Itse

lf

to th e square the wretch

occup

ies,

Str 14 (+5)

Con

16

(+6)

Alignment evil

Dex

20

(+8)

Wls14

(+5)

Int

16 (+6)

Cha

17 (+6)

languages

Oeep

Speech. telepathy 1 0

Foulspawn Seer (S) Level 11 Artillery (

Leader

)

M"d'Unl ~ h ( r r . 1 n t hUI11,mu ..1 XP hOD

HP 86; Bloodied 43

AC

25,

Fortitude 21, Reflex

25,

Will 13

Speed 6

InitIative

+7

Per

cept ion +9

l ow light vision

TRAITS

) Foul lns lpt . Aura 10

Any ally within

the

aura that arn

hear

the

seer

gains a +2 power

bonus to one attack roll. skill check, ability check, or saving

throw

on Its turn.

STANDARD A CTIONS

D

Twisted Staff _apon)

+

AtWIII

Anoek; Melee 1 (one creature); +16

vs. AC

Hit; 2d8 + 10 damage, and

th

e

see

r

arn

push

the

target 1

square.

Warp Orb (psyt:hk) . AtWIII

Attack; Ranged 10 (o ne creature); +16 vs. Reflex

Hit: 2d8 + 5 psychic damage, and

the

target Is slowed (save

ends). If the target is al ready slowed,

it

is In

stead

dazed (save

ends).

,. Distortion Bla

st

+

Encounter

Attock: Close bl

ast

5 (creatures in the blast); +14

vs.

Fortitude

Hit; 3d8 + 8 damag

e,

and the target

Is

dazed

(s

ave ends), If the

I I

Teleport

(te leportatlon)

+

At

WlIl

Effect; The

seer

teleports up to

3

squares.

Bend Space (te leporta tlon) Recharge [;i 1TII

Trl9 er:

An

attack hits

the

seer,

Effect

ImmedIate Interrupt

);

The seer teleporu up to 3 squares.

Str

10 (+5) Dex 14 (+7) Wis 8 (+4)

Con 14 (+7) Int

I I

(+

11

) Cha 18 (+9)

Alignment

evil Languages

Deep

Speech, t

elepathy

1

0

Equipment staff

Foulspawn

Hulk(H

I Level

12

Brute

Lug . h, rr,"H hum,,,,,,,. XP 700

HP 150; Bloodied 75

AC

24,

Fortitud

e

27 (29

while bloodied),

Reflex 22. Will 22

Speed 8

Immune fear

D

Slam. AtWlIl

Initiative +8

Perception

+9

Low

. light vision

Attock; Melee 2 (o ne creatu re); +17 vs. AC, or +19

vs.

AC while

the hulk Is bloodied.

Hit; 3d8 + 12 damage. or 4d8 + 15 while the hulk

Is

bloodi

ed.

5tr 24 +13) Dex 14 (+8) Wis 7 (+ 4)

Con 20(+11 ) Int 7(+4)

Cha14

(+8)

Alignment

evil languages Deep Speech. telepathy 1 0


14/18

Event 6: Transformation

Combat Encounter Lcvcl12 (

3,

625

XP)

With

th

e arri

va

l

of

the par

ty.

O

rn

aranthax believes it

has run out of ime. Its

vi

sions have alerted it that its

p

ur

suers re main , and it has chosen this chamber to

make

its fi

nal stand.

Ught:

Lu

minescent moss growing throughout the

room p

ro

vides dim

li

ght.

Mons

ters:

Omaranthax. warped beholder (0): 10

foulspawn wre tches (VV); 3 warped gas spores (G).

When the c

haracters enter

,

read

:

Hideous /aI/allIer dnmders

thnJUiflwuf

the

cavern.

\Vhen It dies

down, a \'Oia mUs ouf in a aoakill8'OI18ue laced with ethereal

SCl'MII1S

and

echoil1l

wind chimes.

Amid UI( cacophony.

oords

appear

in

yo

ur lIIil1d in

your native 10l'8UI:'.

~ L i f f

birds, li

ttle r s l ~

the voice rasps "Have

) O

ll

emile fwe to

peclt

flU fa deafh? My

lransfonnarion

Is

almost compl

ete

.

hal

hope

hm't

you

CJ8ainst the power

of

Omamn haxf

A moo/tillB

sack offlesh

slow r descends from the 8loom.

If

loolts similar to

a

Jeholder,

bUI eac

h eye

stalk is tipped

willI

a SJIla

fal18ed

mouth drippl rl8 sallva and snappitIjJ at ' he

air. GIowi118 blue si.qils- spcHscars- mark Ihe creafUre's

Bray

flesh. A

larse

eye aazes from w lere

a beholder's mo

uth

would

be. The white

of he f')t

bu

laes anainsf the ri 8

offatIjJ5

fhat

surrounds

il

l.ny dowl

Vurweapons and

implements of power.

and

you

mi.qh

ive 10 see my

Iml1sforma

t

ioll,

M

says

the

crearm-e.

l 1tree more beholders bob inlo position

arou

ndyou. The

Cn 'a

tu res'fealures are horribly dlsjl8ured, makil18 chern

almost

unreCOBnizable.

Behind

thelll

,

a

thron8

offoulspawn

emeryes

Jrom t

he

shadows. The creatures

beat

their

cheslS

and

shout irlSullS ill Deep Speech.

Parle

y with Omaranthax

Omaranth

ax

opens a diaJogue with the character

s.

If

the party ignores

th

e beholder and dives directly into

battle, you can skip this secti on.

Omara nth

ax is

arrogan

t.

'Ib it, the people of thc

Realms are mere playthin

gs. Wh

en speaking, it often

refers to itselfin the third perso n. Omarnnthax vows to

spare the characters' puny lives jfthe group witnesses

its fin aJ transfonnation and delivers word back to the

Black Arro

ws.

The

ad

venturers have only

to

drop their

weapons and implements as ordered.

If h

e characters

drop their weapons, Omarantbax demands tlley kick

their \veapons 2 squares m

Vdy Aft

er a

ll

the characters

have been separated &om the \

ve

apons and implement

s,

Omaranth ax orders the unarmed party murdered.

During the exc

hange. the characters ha

ve

an

opportunity to ga

ther

in

fo

rmat ion.

Insight DC 2 5: The character intuits Umt Oma

ranthax is being decept ive in its vow not to harm the

ch aracters.

Nature

DC

17:

The beholders o

th

er

th

an

Oma

ranthax ha

ve

threadlike filaments hanging fro m them .

Success grants a +2 bonus to a monster kn owl

edge

check to

Id

entify the gas spores.

Monst

er Knowledge Check: An y character who

succeeds on a trained DC 25 A

rc

ana or Dungeoneer

ing ch

ec

k Identifies

th

e fake

beholders

as gas spores.

Battling

Omaranthax

Aft

e r the short discussion. battle Inevitably begi n

s,

Durin

g the melee.

Oma

ran

th

ax laughs

man

iacally

and speaks ofl ts immin

en

t transfo

nnati

on.

As

th e battle begins ,

read:

The

misshapen beholder lauy 1S

Ixdefolly

then

SCn alllS into

your mind.

MKiII

them

Kill litem

a1ll

f want their

l

leads "

RJdge : NaturaJ steps lead up one side of this raised

are

a. TI

lese steps are difficult terraJ

n.

The ridge is

10

feet high (DC 15 Athle tics to cl imb

).

Tactics: Oma ranthax uses far rift to split the party,

It te leports weaker targets closer and drops brawny

attackers adjacent to its a

Hi

es. Wh en it is bloodied.

proc

ee

d to the "FinaJe" section below.

The abe

rrant

gas spores havc malign c

unning.

They grab enemies and get in position to do as m uch

damage as possible when they die,

Omaranthax

an

d its followers fight to the death.

even when

th

e cave begins to crash down around

them (sec below).

Finale

Omarantllax transforms when

fi

r

st

bloodied, urueash

ing a wave of ener

gy

tJm

t triggers a collapse of the cave.

Wh

en

Omaranthax

is first

bloodied

, read:

You scan a blow thaI uruieadies Omara lllltax momentarily.

The beholder convulses

as

ilS

bui8h'8 while eye erupts

i11l0

the air

at dll

end of

a

tltick eye

st

alk.

and

tlte thil18's dislo

catedJaw hal18s limp and slawrltt,9.

"Halt.hah Yes Now Jsee/lne power is mine/" it cries.

The beholder's spel scars Blow rhythmicalJy. then

shine

\ ~ t t

a

deepcrimsonlwht

B

riUia

nl arcs

of hat

'

Wlt

l

radiale

ill

all direc

tions. slall1ml"8

into

the

loor;

dlt

walls.

and

Iheceil

if

l8

_

TIlt

entire

room sltudders.

R

ocks begin

ID

fall

from tilt

ceiliJ'8-

Cave In: Rocks faU from the

ce

Hing as the room

collapses . At th e end of each round , roll an attack

against

eac

h creatu re in the room; +

13

vs. Reflex;

IdlO + 4 damage; on a critical hit, the target

fall

s

prone. Then roll a

d6 and

subt ract the

numbe

r of

ro

unds the c

av

ein has gone o n. On a result of 0

or

lower. the caveln stops.

Othe

rwise,

th

e collapse con

tinues d

ur

ing

th

e next rou nd .


15/18

Warped

Beholder

0 ) level

10

Solo

Artillery

l.u ('

,llwrran

rna

'I{al

heJ\

(h llnd) XP 2 500

HP 424; Bloodied 212

AC

24, Fortitude 22, Reflex 22, Will 22

Sp

ee

d

0, ly

4 (hover)

SilVing Throws +5; Action P

oints

2

(}

Horrlfytng

Vi

sage

(fear

) . Aura 2

Slam. At

-Will

Auack: Melee 1 (one creature); +15 vs. AC

Hi :

2d12 + 5 damage.

Eyutalk At tack +

At-Will

Initiative +10

Perception +10

Oarkvlslon

Effe

ct:

Omaranthax uses twa

of

the following attacks. This attack

does not provoke opportunity attacks.

1. Blue Flame Wove

(fo

rce): Close blast 3 (enemies

In

he blast);

+13

vs.

Fortitude;

1d6

+ 10 force damage, and the target

Is

slowed (save ends).

2.llshtnlns

TOf18ue

(lightning): Ranged 5 (one creature):

+1

5

V5.

Reflex;

2d8

+

10

lightning damage, and Omaran

thax pulls the target up

to

5 squares.

3. Far Rift (psychic, teleportatlon): Area burst 1 within

10

(enemies

in

the burst); +15

vs

.

Will:

ld6 +

10

psychic

damage, Omaranthax teleports

the

target up to 4 squares.

and Omaranthax teleports

up

to

4 squares.

4. Crippled

Stalk:

Melee 2 (one creature): +

lS vs. AC;

2d12 + 5 damage.

S. Dlslnte8rou

Ray.

Ranged

10

(one creature); +

15

vs.

Fortitud

e; 1dl

0 + 5 damage. and ongoing 1 0 damage (save

ends).

6. Stlf18if18 Swarm (polson): Close blast 3 (enemies In the

blast): +13 vs. Fortitude: ld6 +

10

polson damage.

Effect;

The blast creates a zone that

Is

lightly ob5(ured and

lasts until the end ofOmar.mthaxs next turn.

Any

enemy

that ends

Its

turn

in

the

"i

one takes 5 poison damage.

10 Faulspawn

Wreh:hes(W)

level 7 Minion

Skirmisher

SmJ

II

aherran humanoid XP 75

( . I t

h

HP 1;

a missed attack never damages a minion.

AC 21, Fortitude 19, Reflex

20,

Will 19

I

Inld

atlve+l0

Percep tion

+5

I

Any enemy adjacent

to tw or

more fouls pawn wretches

takes

I

C - A tWfIl

Attock: Melee 1

(o

ne creature): +12

vs.

AC

Hit:

7 damage, and a foulspawn wretch

ally

within 6 squares

can

te

l

eport to

a square adjacent

to

the target.

..

Sl:reamlng Echo (te le portation)

Tri88er:

The wretch drops

to

0 hit points.

Effect Immediate Inte"upt): The wretch teleports a nonmln

Ion

ally within 6 squares

of

Itself

to

the square

the

wretch

occupies.

Str14(

+S)

Con 16 (+6)

Alignment

evi

l

D o

20

(+8)

Int

16 (+

6)

W is 14

5 )

Cha17

(+

6)

l imguilges Deep Speech, telepathy

10

7.

Pla8ue

Ray (necrotic): Ranged

10

(one creature); +15 VS

Ref

lex;

ld1 0

+

10

necrotic damage, and the target is weak

ened (save ends).

8. Cerulean Ray

(

fo

rce);

Ra

nged 10 (one creature);

+15

vs.

Reflex; 2d12 + 5 force damage. Omaranthax slides the

target up

to

S squares, and

the

targe t falls prone.

9.

Berserker

Roy

(charm): Ranged 10 (one creature); 15

vs

.

Will;

until the end ofthe target's next turn, the target must

use its standard action

to

make an

at

wlll

attack against

a

ra ndom creature. Further. the target's allies provoke

opportunity attacks from

the

target, which must make any

opportunity attack

It

can.

10.

Freeze

Ray(cold): Ranged

10

(one creature); +15 vs. Reflex;

2d6

+

10

cold damage. and the target is Immobilized

(save ends).

First Foiled

5ovin8 Throw:

The target is petrified

(save

ends).

MInd Wipe

+ AI-WIll

(l /round)

Attock; CI05e blast 5

(e

nemies in the blast): +13

vs

. Will

HIt:

The target cannot use dally attack powers and is dazed until

I

Trl88er: Omaranthax Is conscious and an enemy

starts

Its turn

within 5 squares

of

him.

Effect (No Action); Omaranthax uses one random eyestalk attack.

He must target the triggering enemy If he can.

Str

20(+10) Dex

21 (+10

) Wfs 10 (+5)

Con

18

(+9) Int ~ Cha

20 (+10

)

Alignment

evil

l anguages Deep Speech, telepathy

10

3 Warped Gas

Spores (G)

level

10 Minion Brute

Lltge .Iherrant

b e J ~

(h lind. pliln\l XP 1}5 ('adl

HP 1;

a missed attack never damages a minion.

AC 22. Fortltude 20, Reflex 22, Wilt 21

Speed

O fly

4 (hover)

Immune blind, gaze effects

o

HorrifyInc

Ybap

rear)

+

Auq 2

Initiative +9

P

ercep

tion +8

Blindsight

10

Enemies within Ihe aura grant comb

at

advantage.

STANDARD A CTIONS

D Tendrils (polson)

+ At

WiII

Attack; Melee 1 (one creature); +1S vs. AC

HIt:

11 polson damage. and the target is grabbed (escape DC

18). While grabbing a target.

the

spore can use tendrils only

I

Tri88er: The spore drops

to

0 hit points.

Attad (

Fr

eeActian): Close burst 2 (non-aberrant creatures

In

the

burst); +13 vs. Will

HIt: 11 polson and psychic damage.

Miss: S poison and psychic damage.

Str

12 (+6) Dell 18 (+9)

Con 14

(+7)

Int 4 (+2)

Wfs

16 (+

8)

Cha 8 (+4)

Alignment evil

l anguages Deep Speech


16/18


17/18

CONCLUDING THE

ADVENTURE

When the

characters emerge from

the

cave,

the

Black

Arrows crupt in cheers. The warriors lift the heroes

over their heads and carry them back to Arak Logan's

camp while shouting praises.

Since

the

characters'

departure the

half-elf has

gathered what

treasure

he

could find as a reward.

Between looting foulspawn corpses and confiscating

spoils his men tucked away, he has collected a tidy

sum. He presents the characters with an oak chest

containing

1 200

gpo 5 perfect moonstones (100

gp each). a stunning aquamarine (500 gp). and one

magic item ofthe party's level Id 4 .

Arak Logan

is interested

to

hear the tale of the

adventure. Tfthe adventurers failed to use the dead

words manacle, Arak Logan

thanks

them and

imme

diately dispatches warriors to recover Omaran thax's

body. Rituals might stiU allow them to

gather

intel

ligence from the corpse. If he characters deliver the

dead words

manacle with the beholder's spirit within

it

Arak Logan

is

overjoyed.

f he

adventurers also

saved Kilna from the cave, Logan is moved almost to

tears. (Kilna has lost

the

stomach for

the

fight,

and

he

makes plans to retire.)

If the characters completed at least one quest,

Logan slices his hand with his dagger and vows by his

blood, From this day forward, the Black Arrows are

enemies ofyour enemies.and protectors of your allies.

If

ever you have a need,

the

Black Arrows pledge

their

aid for as long as I shall live.

During

an evening of feasting, if you want,

Arak

tries

to

recruit

the characters

10

the cause

of

the

Cclestian Order. He vouches for them

if

hey wish to

jo

in. More information about

the order can

be found

in Dra8 n

375

About the Author

As of his writing. lobe

Bittman

is the reigning King

of Monsters at Kobold Quarterly His design work has

appeared in publications by Goodman Games and

Open

Design. You can find more of his ramblings at

his blog,

www meta8amemastery com

or on Twitter

(@metaDM).


18/18

SHOW THIS

EHOLDER

WHO'S

Boss

The Keepers

of

the Celestian Order, vaJiant defenders

dedicated to destroying horrors from the Far Realm, have

trapped a beholder in its lair. However. the evil aberration

has proven far more dangerous than expected, and the

Keepers need the help of adventurers to end the threat

of

Omaranthax

once and

for all.

This D UNGEONS & R GONS Roleplayir 8

ame

adventure,

created

for Free

RPG

Day

20 1

2

pits

player characters

against a mutated beholder and its vile lUlderlings.

Although set in the

FORGOTIE

N

REALMs

campaign setting,

the adventure can be easily adapted to any O D*' world.

DUNGEONSANODRAGONS.COM

I . D :-

I N S I K

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. c -

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na..-.. rn -- ' I l IJ

Pln.l.Wll lAZ.u

Dead In The Eye

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