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# The Cavern of Lost Hope Something dark and powerful festers deep in the Whisper Wood. In the past weeks many have gone missing. Dark dreams and visions haunt those living nearby. There have been clues and rumors to what this foulness may be. They point to a powerful being from the Shadowfell… The Hushed King. Currently those who would stand against the darkness look for a cavern. A place not only with a foreboding name but a place with a tragic past. The exact kind of place evil festers in. The Cavern of Lost Hope. ## ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS Having defeated the Shadow Dancer and freeing the Ghostwise Halflings from the catatonic effects of the Shadow Shrines, our adventurer’s now find themselves hunting for the source of an evil they do not yet fully understand. They know that something has come to the forest, but what it is, they do not know. The Whisper Wood has been invaded by Mh'ulloth, a powerful Balhannoth, a foul creature from the Shadowfell known for its abilities to psychically lure its victims into its lair where it can devour them. The Balhannoth has taken up residence in a cavern at the base of the mountains.
The Balhannoth is a powerful psychic creature and not only will it sense them coming but it has been preparing to defend itself from attackers. The cavern it lairs in is normally easy to navigate. But under the influence of the creature it has been transformed and is no longer straightforward or simple, the power of the Balhannoth will recreate it to be confusing and danger-filled. There will be multiple rooms of bait and switch type of traps. Feel free to custom tailor these things to be the type of things that their party would be attracted to. It is intended to trap the characters and certainly make the players feel so. I even recommend looping the rooms around in unnatural ways. Eventually they will have to confront the Balhannoth. After they defeat the creature the cavern will restore itself to its normal state and the captives will awaken.
> - Target Party and Level: 4 level 6 players > - Expected Playtime Playtime: 3-4 Hours > - Tone: Fantasy Horror
## PROGRESSION OVERVIEW Allow the players to recollect themselves. A week or so should have passed. Giving opportunity to swap characters or players if necessary. Or to even run it as a separate one shot with all new players. The thurst of this adventure is a Dungeon Crawl. After starting the game up and doing introductions the players will travel through the forest and begin searching out the Cavern of Lost Hope. Once inside the cavern it is a dungeon crawl to the boss. ``` ``` ## TABLE OF CONTENTS
### [SETUP INFORMATION](#p3) ### [ACT 0: Pre-Game](#p4) ### [ACT 1: The Whisper Wood](#p4) ### [ACT 2: The Deep Wood](#p5) ### [ACT 3: The “Dryad" Grove](#p6) ### [ACT 4: Lost Hope](#p7) ### [CONCLUSION](#p11) ### [APPENDICES](#p11) ##### [- Playing an AOG Adventure](#p12) ##### [- Expanded Lore](#p15) ##### [- Important Locations & NPCs](#p15) ##### [- Maps & Handouts](#p16) ##### [- Stat Blocks](#p21)
### PLAYING AN A.O.G. ADVENTURE If you’ve never played an AOG adventure, I thought it wise to give you some notes on how I write them. Cuz I do some stuff non traditional like. Those notes are in the Appendices. ### ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - Wizards of the Coast and D&D for the amazing job they do providing RPG Content for us to use! - Original Story Written by Amplus Ordo Games - All Maps and Handouts were done by Amplus Ordo Games using Inkarnate - PDF Formatting done using The Homebrewery \page
## SETUP INFORMATION ### SETTING Balinovia, a struggling nation on the edge of war. Balinovia never really recovered after the calamities. It endured, but only barely. It was at one time a thriving nation and a great example to the world of what could be achieved through cooperation and vision. On the surface it still seems a beautiful kingdom. But the homes are crumbling, and the people have known nothing but cultural decay caused by the constant fighting and the severe poverty of its people. It lies in a wide river valley and is covered by light and cheery forests. The land is fertile and easy to farm. It should be a near perfect realm. But the truth is, it can barely call itself a nation. The land is ruled by warlords who call themselves Nobles and were it not for the threat of invasion from the Orcs to the North they would have already torn each other apart. The people are “taxed” into starvation and those that can hold a weapon are conscripted to fill the ranks of The Blood Watch, the soldiers guarding the Channel of Despair, leaving those too young or too old to work the fields. As a nation Balinovia is one breath away from collapse. Unless something dramatic happens the Orcs will soon invade. And if they break through, which they will, this once proud and flourishing land will cease to exist. ### IMPORTANT LOCATIONS More detailed descriptions and maps, if there are any, can be found in the Appendices.
**Balinovia, The Nation:** Balinovia was once an advanced cultural and industrial society that has stumbled backward thanks to brutal infighting and rebellions in the past century.
**The Blood Axe Dominion:** A brutal Orc nation living in the swamps of Blood Marsh. They have made it their goal to destroy Balinovia, their neighbors to the south.
**Cuzzano:** Cuzzano is a fascinating city, with advanced steam level technology city built in a massive cavern riverway and on top of a ten mile round water reservoir. In many ways they hold Balinovia and Cetnovia trade interests hostage with their water supplies, as the flow out of this reservoir is the main feed to the other nations’ major riverways.
**The Franssisi Mountains:** Named after San Franssisi the Parton Saint of nature and beasts the mountains run the length of the southern border of Balinovia. The mountains are forest covered and teeming with wildlife, some of it quite dangerous.
**The Touno River:** (Thundering River) The river that spills down from Cuzzano and across the countryside. Skirting the Franssisi Mountains the river rushes wildy and filled with rapids and waterfalls making it technically impassable by boat, although there are stretches where one could use a small craft.
**The Whisper Wood:** A thick old growth forest covering a 50 mile stretch of land between the Touno River and the Franssisi Mountains. The Whisper Wood has long held a dark reputation. It is said those who wander too far from the road never return, but the truth is the Ghostwise Halflings who dwell there and their Giant Owl mounts have long protected forest. Using their unique skills and culture to keep the area safe and deal with any evils that may try to take root there at bay.
**Hollow Home:** The village of the Ghostwise Halflings of the Whisper Wood. Hidden in the boughs of some of the largest trees of the forest, Hollow Home is one of the more secret settlements in the world. The village consists of only a few structures that could be classified as buildings. The rest of the locals dwellings are little more than covered and furnished hollows in the trees large enough to make a simple home out of. The village typically houses about 100 individuals, most of whom have been trained to ride and use Giant Owls as mounts and hunting animals. The Nightgliders, as they are known, is a small group of Owl Riders who have sworn oaths to an unknown Forest Patron to keep the land free of evils.
### IMPORTANT NPCs I will give a little better description and provide necessary Stat Blocks of these NPCs in the Appendices.
**Taryvir Moongaze:** Taryvir is “Captain” of the Nightgliders, the Ghostwise Owl Riders, but only by default. His wife Finla was the Captain until she succumbed to the malady causing the Halflings to sleep. He is bold and brave, well skilled with weapons, and a keen huntsman. But he is a simple man and does not have his wife’s mind for strategy. He is desperate to save his people, and is taking a great risk in contacting outsiders.
**The Nightgliders:** Normally this a group of twenty Ghostwise Halflings tasked with guarding the Whisper Wood from evils. Only four remain; Glinda, Harlow, Burgan, and Uli. The others have all either disappeared or are still recovering from the psychic malady.
**Mh'ulloth:** The aberration villain of the story. Mh'ulloth, is a Balhannoth, a slug-like creature from the Shadowfell. Mh'ulloth is a high ranking servant of the Hushed King, and is currently working toward freeing his master. Mh'ulloth is a cruel creature who loves playing with and torturing his victims before devouring them. Balhannoth have the power to warp reality around them and particularly like creating challenges that terrify those who enter within his range.
**The Hushed King:** A disposed Dark Fey from the Shadowfell who is seeking a return to power in what he considers to be his woods.
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## PRE-GAME OPENING ### ADVENTURE HOOKS - **Main:** Word has spread that a powerful evil is waking up in the Whisper Wood. There is a call to action against it. A fair amount of adventurers are answering the call. - **Backup:** The Players are tasked by the military with ending this threat. - **Backup Backup:** The Balhannoth itself lures the players to the cavern. It is intending to end them before they cause much trouble. .
As a One Shot, the Adventurers should already be in Hollow Home preparing to go searching for the cavern. But maybe if this is being dropped into an already running game you need a little more set up. I would start them nearby in the city of Cuzzano and use the standard types of Quest Board or Tavern Rumor hooks to get them moving. If they are uninterested in that type of thing, have them lured by the Balhannoth or conscripted by the Cuzzano government. ### ABOUT HORROR GAMES Running an effective Horror game can be a real trick and takes a different set of skills than the average DM employs from game to game. It is my favorite style of game to run, and has been for thirty years, so I have some suggestions for you. You can find those in the Appendices.
### OPENING CUT-SCENE
"The stones in the darkness swirl. Only those capable of seeing in magical blackness could watch the cavern reform itself. The nearby servants scramble out of the way, hiding themselves in alcoves and niches. A purple arcane gate so dark it is almost black snaps into existence in the center of the darkness. Beyond the gate is a landscape of jagged mountains and a forlorn castle. It is a barren land, covered in death and decay. A land of brokenness and ruin. A land of shadow and darkness. There is no color. There is no sun. There is no moon. There are no stars. There is on shadow and an empty black sky.”
## ACT 01: The Wisperwood However the players have been brought together is Act is a recap of what has come before in the story. The wood was beset by a psychic power that lured the Ghostwise protectors away into the deep wood, or put them in a catatonic state. They were rescued by a band of adventurers who destroyed a psionic amplifier that was guarded by a servant of The Hushed King. They are likely starting out in the Halfling village of Hollow Home. They now know there is a greater threat out there, and the Halflings have been flying groups searching for the lair of this entity deeper into the forest, but they can only go so far or they begin to feel the Draw again.
##### LOCATION & MAP: Hollow Home With Hollow Home free there are some basic helps the Halflings can give. The players can buy a few healing potions and other basic supplies that they would have.
##### PLAYER ACTIONS: #### Gather Information from the Ghostwise - Attempts were made to find the source, most of those searching have not returned quite yet. Those that have report that the forest is becoming more twisted the deeper in they travel. - Some of the animals seem to be affected. They are disappearing, sleeping, or in some cases becoming more aggressive. The effect becomes stronger the deeper into the woods you go. - They also are well familiar with the normal dangers of the woods and will share this information readily. - The Owls are now very busy helping fly people around, searching, and scouting. The players cannot get Owls of their own. Anyway, the creatures bond over years with the Halflings. #### Use the Ghostwise Library: The Halflings have been organizing Information in the Library. They have found quite a bit.
- You find several maps of the area and numerous volumes on the local wildlife. - There are areas of the Whisperwood where the veil between planes is very thin, and the Whisper Wood was once part of the Shadowfell - The Cavern of Lost Hope, supposedly lures people to their deaths by psionically projecting the desires of those whose minds it can touch. - There were a group of guardians before the Halflings. They were killed during a Planar Convergence, when the Cavern’s power was greatly amplified. - The Wood was ruled by a being known as the Hushed King, who has sworn to take his Kingdom back, and almost did so during that Convergence, but the guardians stopped him.
#### Getting Ready to Leave Once the players have exhausted their options here in town. They will need to head out into the woods. They can walk from here or wait for the next available Owls to take them. There is a clue tied to each action.
#### IF: They head out right away They will encounter another group of Adventurers about a mile from Hollow Home returning from their search. They will be in bad shape. They discovered an inviting grove with two white stags in it. The cave was in the foothills of the mountains. But they never made it there. A pack of trolls attacked them. These trolls exploded with disease when they are killed. This party lost two members to the trolls. The bodies were so covered with rot and disease they had to leave them behind. Knowing where this grove in will quicken their search if they head that way.
#### IF: They wait There will be an event where they discover an eye watching them. Someone in the common room will spot the eye. This will initiate a Skill Challenge. They must attempt to find and catch it as it tries to get away. They will need three successful skill checks against the eye before three failures. If they catch it they can do what they want with it. If it gets away at least they have a heads up there are hags about.
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## ACT 02: Deep in the Woods Much of this will play exactly the same as the Deeper Woods did in Part 1, although the easier encounters have been eliminated. As the Players move deeper into the Whisper Wood. They will begin to feel like everything is watching them. The Deep Woods have become extremely unsafe and in many ways malicious. The further they go the worse it becomes. Once they have adequately searched the forest (Should Take a Few Days) have them find the “Dryad’s Clearing” and thus the Cavern Entrance.
##### DESCRIPTION: Whisper Wood “The Deep Woods is extremely unsettling. The trees are thick enough to blot out most of the light at noonday. The ground is covered with rotting leaves and earth so black is looks almost like the muck of a bog bottom. There is a silence here that is oppressive, and the wind seems to have completely disappeared causing the air to become stiflingly thick. The vines and fungus that dot the foliage back near Hollow Home are far more common now. The grub-like and termite-ish insects have grown much larger as well.”
### RANDOM ENCOUNTER & EVENTS: I recommend using at least one of each of these events as they search the woods. These events were also used Part 1. If you happen to roll an event that you already used in the last adventure, simply bounce up or down to the next one. If you used them all… dayumn… how long did that take you?
##### ENCOUNTER TABLE (d20), Deep Forest - 1-4 Large Owl Bears (4) These large Owlbears have more than average HP, and are protecting a nest. They will attack if the players get too close. - 5-8 Displacer Beast (4) are eating a recent Elk kill. They will attack if approached. They will also follow the party and attack later if the party gets distracted. - 9-10 Ankheg (6) Burst up from the ground and attack. A Very Hard Perception Check can avoid surprise. - 11-12 Carrion Crawlers (4) Wyvern (1) The Crawlers are eating the “remains” of a Wyvern will turn on the players immediately. In Round Two of the fight the Wyvern will rise up and attack. - 13-14 Will-o-wisp (4) and lurking Wights (3) The Wisps will lure the players into a flowery glade and once there the Halfling Wights will attack. - 15-16 Ettercap (4) Giant Spiders (4) The Ettercaps have completely encased a Fairy Mushroom Ring in webbing and feed on any creatures that come through. If they clear the area out the can get a Sprite to help them in some way. - 17-18 Redcap (4) A strange patch of red mushrooms grow here. If they investigate it Redcaps will pop up out of the area and attack. There is a Ghostwise Halfling body here. It was unfortunately murdered long ago. - 19-20 Shambling Mound (3) What appears to be a Beaver Dam in a creek turns out to be Shambling mounds.
``` ``` ##### HORROR EVENTS: - 1-4 A flock of Ravens lands nearby and begins watching and croaking at the players. The ravens will continue to follow the players, even if they are attacked. - 5-8 The shadows in the area shift from one direction to the other and defying light sources. - 9-12 They find a ring of standing stones. They are overgrown with vines. While they look at them some of the vines have grown in strange patterns revealing that the stones are some sort of memorial. Most of the names on them were carved long ago… most of the names… they will see their names very recently carved into the stones. - 13-16 The Players begin to hear crying in the woods. If they follow it they will find an elven child hiding in the root crotch of a tree. If the attempt to coax the child out it will start giggling and whisper. “Like me… you’ll never leave this place…” and then disappear. - 17 A skeleton (Half Orc?) is tied to a tree with a hemp rope threaded with silver. If they untie it the skeleton will transform into a Werebat which will immediately fly off shrieking and be a problem for another day. - 18 They notice they are being followed by a albino cat. Large but probably not dangerous. If they approach, the cat will run away and hide. It will return later. If they do manage to get close to it maybe by magic or other means it will erupt into a huge swarm of albino bats and fly off. - 19 As they travel they find themselves surrounded by boggy swampy areas. They weren’t there before, but they are now. Thousands of insects crawl up out of the fetid pools and swarm players. No damage, just nasty. - 20 Mist creeps through the area. Tendrils of it appear to reach out for them and in the distance it forms figures. That’s all, but Mists in D&D are scary!
##### HAZARDS: - 1-6 Leech Vines - 7-12 Hushrooms - 13-16 Snap Ankle Root - 17-19 Ghost Slime - 20 Rot Grubs #### HAZARD DESCRIPTIONS:
**Leech Vines:** The vines can creep around on their own and all have needle-like hairs on them that inject those they touch with a numbing agent and then begin to draw out blood. A Con save Easy DC needs to be made or the player being drained by the vine will lose 1d4 HD and the corresponding value off of their Max HP. If the vine completely drains a creature’s HD they are paralyzed until they can recover.
**Hushrooms:** These large lattice topped mushrooms grow only out of rotting remains of dead creatures. When approached they release a 10’ radius cloud of spores. Any creature that breathes them in must succeed on an Easy Constitution Saving Throw or become poisoned. The Poisoned creature takes no damage as the spores are not physically toxic. Instead they cause a swelling in the throat which forces the victim to lose the ability to speak, if the infection is not dealt within a minute the victim must make another saving throw or gain a point of exhaustion, This continues until the creature’s windpipe closes rendering it unconscious and eventually suffocates.
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**Ghost Slime:** Ghost Slime is a close cousin to Green Slime. It is corrosive, slick, and adhesive, sticking to anything it comes into contact with. Flesh is especially vulnerable to the corrosive properties of the slime. It is often found clinging to low hanging branches or in rotting logs, usually in 5-foot squares. Ghost slime can detect movement within 30 feet and will drop or splurt out on unsuspecting victims when they are near it; it is unable to move more than a few feet an hour so much of its diet depends on unwitting prey. If a creature is aware of the presence of the slime, they can attempt to avoid the hazard by succeeding on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. Ghost Slime secretes acid and does 10 (2d10) acid damage to any creature it comes into contact with. This damage continues on each of the creature’s turns until it uses an action to remove or destroy the slime. Ghost Slime is vulnerable to and will be destroyed by radiant damage, direct sunlight or any disease curing magic.
An**kle Snap Roots:** The Ankle Snap Root is a predatory plant that grows just below the surface of the forest floor, often completely masked by the cover of fallen leaves. The bulk of the plant is a spined two foot diameter bulb with a wide opening that faces toward the surface. When a creature crawls, steps, or stumbles into this opening the bulb snaps closed with surprising force and its spines lock into place. Creatures who step into an Ankle Snap Root must make a Medium-Easy Dexterity Saving Throw or take 2d4 Slashing Damage and become grappled as the pod closes around what ever part of their body entered the pod. The pod is then flooded with acid causing another 1d4 damage on each of their turns until the creature can work itself free. The trapped creature can continue to make saving throws to escape the Root, any failures immediately cause another 1d4 Slashing and 1d4 Acid damage.
**Rot Grubs:** Are a common problem in the Whisper Wood. See the Monster Manual for details on Rot Grubs. ENCOUNTER: Rot Troll (2), Just before reaching the grove in chapter three they will encounter two Rot Trolls in an area of dead trees and growth lurks the remaining Rot Trolls. They aren’t smart but they are cunning and will attempt to hide and surprise the players. Whatever happens they will attack them. ##### MAP (If Needed): Random Dark Forest Map
## ACT 03: The “Dryad" Grove After they’ve stumbled around in the forest long enough, the players come across a grove near the base of the mountainous cliffs. Have them arrive at night. It should look friendly and inviting. It is not. There is a NIght Hag here guarding the entrance to the Balhannoth’s lair. Hags are dangerous, and In many ways this could quickly become a more dangerous encounter than the Balhannoth. Once they eliminate the Hag the entrance to the lair will become easily seen. This Hag is part of a “forced” coven. She has two Shadow Hags trapped in amulets around the necks of her Giant Elk guardians. The trapped hags traded service for power, they would love to get out of the deal early, but can do nothing about it while the Night Hag lives. ##### MAP: Hag’s Grove
**Quick DM Note:** Detect Magic does not reveal even magical illusions, it only informs the caster of illusions in the area. ### EVENT: The Keeper of the Grove
##### DESCRIPTION: “Ahead of you is an open and well tended grove about one hundred feet in diameter. Small globes of colored light float about the area, some even out into the encircling trees. The moonlight illuminates the grass and bushes that grow here. There is a sense of peacefulness emanating from this area. In the center of the grove there is a small but beautiful tree, as you look it turns toward you and two white stags step out from behind it. You hear a soft voice that seems to dance through the air. “You search for a great evil. Come take shelter in my grove. It is the last light in a sea of shadow.””
##### PLAYER ACTIONS: **Insight Check:** If they’re smart, they will do this. Hags are good at this… but a (Very Hard) check will alert the players to something being off. If they’re very smart they will stay suspicious. The Hag should be aware that they are attempting to figure things out and will tell them that the grove is part of the Fey Wild, and both here and there at the same time. That is what gives it its “odd” feel at least to outsiders, to her it simply feels normal. Again these are (Very Hard) checks.
**Discern the Illusion:** The Grove is covered by a powerful psionic illusion similar to the Mirage Arcane spell. It is part of the Hag’s Lair Effects. And only discernible by use of a True Sight spell or a (Nearly Impossible) check of appropriate skill. Even so if a check is made, the awareness they gain should be very minimal. Ask About the Trolls: She will claim that they have been attempting to get into the grove to destroy it, but she and the guardians have been able to keep them at bay.
**Ask About the Evil:** They will likely ask her about it. She will be rather honest with them, but not reveal anything they do not already know, or could not have learned up till this point.
**Approach the Grove:** This is a likely but unwise course of action. The “Dryad” will invite them to rest. She will claim the grove will empower them to fight the wickedness. If they do approach and do not resist the “Dryad” she will continue the charade of being helpful.
**Rest in the Grove:** If they actually rest, the Night Hag will use her Nightmare Haunting ability on the weakest player. Once that event has been completed the Hags will launch a surprise attack on the players. Pick a Fight: Yeah, well, Roll Initiative
##### ENCOUNTER: Night Hag (1) Shadow Elk (2) The Hag will attempt to lure the players to sleep, and then weaken one of them further before attacking. If she is unable to do that she will move in and out of the ethereal plane while putting the Elks in the way. She is certainly smart enough to eliminate the casters first. Once the fighting stops the area will transform into a twisted bog and become difficult terrain. Swarms of insects and parasites will harass the players. Doing Lair effect damage, and possibly inflicting diseases. The Night Hag will attempt to flee (Using her Plane Shift ability) if things go badly, leaving her elk behind to keep the players busy. If she gets away she will be found later in the Balhannoth Lair. \page
##### EVENT: The Trapped Hags There are two Shadow Hags trapped in the amulets that were around the Elk’s nets. Once the Night Hag has left them behind or killed, they will be free to talk to the players and will attempt to barter with them for their freedom. This is as honest a bargain as a hag is willing to make. They desperately want to be free, and will return the favor of help for help. If you can work in an angle that benefits the Hags, do it! Unless the party asks for a specific kind of help now, they will show up later in Part 3 during the final confrontation with the Hushed King. ## ACT 04: Lost Hope Mh'ulloth, has made its lair in The Cavern of Lost Hope. The cavern was a burial site for the old Guardians of the Whisper Wood. It is basically a few short tunnels to one large room with burial niches carved into the edges of the chamber. But that was before Mh’ulloth transformed it. It is now a multi room cave, the change is a reality altering effect produced by Mh'ulloth’s psionic powers and like the Hag Grove functions similar to a ‘Mirage Arcane’ spell, but actually warps reality, giving the Cavern a much more complex feel to it than is actually there. It also means that the illusion isn’t dispellable or even detectable by traditional arcane means. Certain areas of the cavern are hidden completely from interaction and will remain so until the Balhannoth is dealt with. There will be no hiding from the Balhannoth within. It knows the players are coming for it and has planned accordingly. It will be using the cavern and its terrain, minions, and other illusions to full advantage.
**DM Note:** Characters with Psionic powers will begin to hear Mh'ulloth’s voice whispering to them. He will tempt and taunt them at various inopportune times.
##### MAP: The Cavern of Lost Hope
### 1) The Cavern Entrance The entrance, foreboding as it seems, isn’t really anything special. They can move through the area and into the cave with no problems. Once they enter into the caverns and pass through area 2) they will not be able to exit. They can rest out here with relative safety. Although Mh'illoth does invade dreams. They will need to make Wis or Int saving throws every time they rest with the DC increasing dramatically. Any player that fails the save begins becoming enthralled by Mh'ulloth.
##### DESCRIPTION: The Entrance “Just beyond the Hag’s Bog the land rises swiftly climbing up one of the mountain’s foothills. Just ahead is the base of a cliffside. Dying trees struggle to take root in the rocks and outcropping of it. You spot a cavern entrance a little way up the hillside, just a short hike among the tumbled boulders and logs. It is hard to clearly see but not find. Shadow and darkness pour out of the mouth like breath on a cold winter day making it easily noticeable. As you look toward the cavern you get a strange feeling of welcome and peace. However, the smell of death and decay give you quite the opposite feeling...”
### 2) The Well of Shadow The first chamber they encounter will have a pit that the players will need to descend into. They will be hesitant because the pit is filled with swirling shadows that form themselves into arms and hands. There will be voices moaning and calling their names. It has substance to it, so say they throw a rope into the vortex, the rope will be pulled taunt as if it were being yanked into a real vortex. If they touch it, it feels wet and stains anything it comes in contact with, so when they come out on the other side they and all their goods will be tinted black. This Shadow Stain can be cleaned magically. Until they do if they get more than 15’ away from another member’s line of sight they will “disappear”. There is no damage associated with this effect. There is no other way into the Lair than to Pass through this.
##### DESCRIPTION: The Well Cave “As you approach the first chamber of the cavern you begin to hear moaning and wailing. The floor of this cavern drops away in a circular pit. The moans are coming out of it.”
##### DESCRIPTION: The Pit “Looking into the pit reveals a swirl of shadows pulling downward into impenetrable darkness much like water draining out of a funnel.”
##### SKILL CHECKS: Descending into the pit They’ll have to find some way to get into that pit. It should be (Easy) which will be easier than they expect. Why? Well false hope of course. You don’t want them on guard when the creatures in the next room come calling. ### 3) Pool of Entrapment Coming out of the well of shadow they will enter into a large cavern with a watery floor. Remember they are still covered with Shadow Stain. While they are descending the rope they will be attacked by Darkmantles that will attempt to dislodge them from the rope and throw them into the water below. When they hit the water the Darkmantle will release them, but they will be trapped under its surface unable to get back out unless they swim down toward a light below. They will find a second surface of water that they can pass through. Once they do they will be dumped out onto the cavern floor. The only exit from the room is through the water.
##### DESCRIPTION: Entering the Area “You pass through the swirling shadow. The darkness grips at the edges of your clothes and gear almost as if it were liquid. But you emerge on the other side free of harm and harassment. Below you is a massive cavern. Your rope ends just above the glassy reflection of a large underground pool. Looking around further you see no solid ground in this cavern, only water. It is quiet in here, the shadows swirl above your head, but the screams and moans have gone silent. It is so still that the sound of your group’s gear clinking and rubbing as you slide down the rope becomes jarring as the noise echoes off the undisturbed surfaces.”
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##### ENCOUNTER/HAZARD: Darkmantle Swarms The Darkmantles will come silently out of the darkness just after the players all pass through the shadows and begin to attempt to determine what to do next. This should become an initiative encounter but it is more of a hazard as they likely cannot defeat hundreds of Darkmantles. Although who the heck knows what they will do. On their turns, the characters will first need to make Hard Dexterity Saving Throws to avoid having their heads grappled by the Darkmantles. They will also take damage if hit and half damage if missed. If they are grappled, the Darkmantles will then attempt to rip them off the rope. This is a Hard Strength Saving Throw. I highly recommend that you do not move on until all the players have been tossed into the pool. If you need to have the Darkmantles attack the rope.
##### EVENT: The Pool of Entrapment Once the players all hit the water read the following.
##### DESCRIPTION: Trapped Underwater !!! “You hit the water and immediately attempt to swim upward, but instead of breaking the surface you hit something solid. You can see through it back into the cavern and see the swarms of Darkmantles swirling above you, but cannot pass! You need to find a way out or through and quickly!”
“Looking around you spot a small glimmer of light coming from below.”
“You swim toward the light. Halfway there you experience a sensation of changing directions and now feel as though you are no longer swimming down but up, the light is coming from a small tunnel.”
- (Wisdom Saving Throw, Easy, because they can see the light. If they fail, they do so because they have begun panicking.)
“Plunging into the tunnel your lungs are screaming for air. (Have them make a Constitution Saving Throws, if they fail they will take points of exhaustion until they succeed) The tell tale shimmer ahead denotes the surface of the water. You lunge for it, desperately hoping you will not encounter another obstruction… and break through.”
"You are down in a cavernous pit filled with water surrounded by cliffs. It does look like some of them could be easily scaled and lead to an open area."
They should be able to climb out easily here. ### 4) The Reversing Bridge This long chamber has a bridge spanning a bottomless chasm. The ceiling is covered in stalactites. Bats roost in the ceiling and are clearly present. These are real bats that live in the actual cavern and will react in the way that bats would to the presence of outsiders. Everything here looks normal, this will be very unnerving to the players. You have now trained them to think that things here happen abnormally. So they will likely take a lot of time but nothing unusual happens until they reach the center of the bridge the gravity will reverse.
DESCRIPTION: The Bridge Cavern “Coming up out of the water you find yourself standing in a large cavern split by a gorge so wide and dark it feels bottomless. Squeaking fills the air as thousands of bats nest in the stalactites far above you and rats scurry away between the stalagmites on the floor. A narrow but sturdy looking rope bridge spans the gorge. It sways gently as if pushed by an unfelt breeze.”
##### **HAZARD: Reverse Gravity** This room works exactly like the reverse gravity spell. Once players cross into the middle a brief "countdown" begins. They may be alerted to it by a (Hard) Arcana check, but only with enough time to gain advantage on the (Medium-Hard) Dexterity Saving Throw to hang onto the bridge once the gravity reverses. The ceiling is 40’ above them and covered with Stalactites so they should take significant damage on impact. In this instance I would allow another save to half the damage of the impact. Once the gravity is reversed they can simply walk out of the room. If you are feeling really nasty you can have debris begin plummeting down from the now reversed gorge. I’m sure they’ll love you for that as a boulder smashes through the bridge that the few that saved are hanging onto.
### 5) The Shadow Pudding Pits This room will appear to be a geothermal room full of mudpits, skeletons, and piles of treasure. It is also home to a family of Shadow Puddings (Black Pudding except with Fire Immunity instead of Cold) The air here also has a corrosive value to it. Flesh (Not Bone) and Non-Metal gear will begin to take damage if there is too much delay, so they will want to get through here as quickly as possible. However the Shadow Puddings will make that difficult, and schlurp their way out of the pools and surround our players. If you’re feeling particularly mean you can have the skeletons animate as well. The Puddings only eat soft tissues and so there is legitimate treasure in this room. Most of it is stuff taken out of the tombs of the old Guardians.
##### DESCRIPTION: The Pits “The air here becomes humid and there is a subtle sulphur smell to it. Spreading out before you is a wide and low ceilinged chamber. Several rock columns are spread around the room. These are juxtaposed by several shallow and slowly bubbling pits. Each time a bubble rises up fumes in that area increase. Scattered throughout the room are both humanoid bones and treasures.”
##### ENCOUNTER: Shadow Puddings (3) As the players begin exploring the room the puddings will begin to crawl up out of the pits. They have a long reach and once they connect with a target they will attempt to drag that contact inside themselves and maybe even in the pits. They also do have a “shadow step” ability that greatly enhances their otherwise abysmal movement.
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##### REWARDS: Scattered Treasures - Roll a d100+200 for the GP value of the random coins scattered about. - Roll a d12+10 for random bronze jewelry of Ancient Elven design Each of these pieces should be worth 35gp(ish) - Bronze Longsword +2 Cursed (A natural 1 causes the damage to the player) - Bronze Elven Chainmail +1
### 6) The Chamber of Misdirection This chamber is a series of stairs and doors, there is a pattern to getting out of this room. In the center is an animated Jester’s outfit and a carnival game wheel. (Wheel of Fortune Style) Failure to walk the proper pattern results in them being placed back in the entrance to the chamber, and the Jester laughing in a very uncomfortable manner. He then makes them spin the wheel, and something happens to a party member. The wheel is mostly filled with awful things, but there are a few good ones on there. If they try and cheat in any way (Flying, CLimbing, breaking things) the room sends thme back here.
##### DESCRIPTION: The Chamber “You enter into a dimly lit room. The contrast of it between the natural caverns you’ve passed through and the the obviously constructed mayhem that this chamber entails is beyond striking. The room is Square and almost 100’ tall and has multiple staircases and bridges that that work their way up the sides. On the Ground Floor there are three doors, one on each wall other than the entrance. In the center of the room is a large colorfully painted carnival game wheel divided into 12 sections. As you look at the wheel a pile of jester’s clothes laying on it animates and begins dancing around the center, the sound of laughing comes from the jester, but it has no body… only clothes. From all around you the sounds of children chanting can be heard. ‘Pick a door. Pick some more. Try to reach the upper floor. If you pick wrong, or charge ahead, you’ll spin the wheel and might get dead!’ The Jester starts cackling madly as the Wheel Spins around wildly tipping from side to side, metal grinding and gears screaming, clicking and clacking in a way that makes you think it could break at any second and tumble off its axel. A small marker ticks away at each colorful slice on the board as it passes by. The wheel slows and stops on ‘FUN’ when it does a large skeleton drops down from above and attacks”
##### ENCOUNTER: Minotaur Skeleton Just a straight forward encounter with a skeleton! If they spin fun other times this is about th elevel of Monster you want them to face. Nothing super dangerous just dangerous enough to maybe get a hit or two in on a player. IF you have a stronger party then maybe the danger increases or you just up it right away.
##### INTERACTION: Spin The Wheel The wheel cannot be spun until they make a wrong choice leaving the room. Once they do they are sent back to the beginning and the wheel unlocks allowing one of them to spin it.
- 1 Orange - 2d4 Oranges drop from the sky. These oranges can be consumed by the spinner for 2d4+2 Healing. It takes 1 minute to eat an Orange. Anyone other than the spinner who eats and orange takes 2d4+2 damage - 2 Yellow - Laughing Gas begins to fill the room. Players begin laughing hysterically until they can make a (Hard) Int Save. (1d4 Psychic Damage per round) - 3 Red - Players begin bleeding profusely out of their mouth. No Save. (3d4 Damage) - 4 Green - Players nasal passages block up with thick green mucus and they can’t breathe. A (Hard) Con save can be made to clear out the Boogers. If they fail three they pass out and are Unconscious. If they fail five they die. - 5 Blue - The saddest moments and thoughts of their life come bursting back into their consciousness. A (Hard) Wis Save is necessary to push them away. If they fail their movement speed is halved until they take a long rest. - 6 Purple - Dark purple bruises begin to form on their body. They will take +5 Damage from each physical blow until they take a long rest. - 7 Pink - Little Taffies fall from the sky. Eating them restores 3 HP. After three they require a Con Save that starts at 10 and increases by 2 for every additional candy eaten. If they fail a save they lose all the regained HP and are poisoned for an hour. - 8 Black - Sad music plays and they are hit with a 6d6 Healing Ray - 9 White - Happy music plays and they are hit with a 6d6 Disintegration Ray (Medium) Con Save to be dropped to 1 HP and not Disintegrated. - 10 FUN - Summon a Monster, DM’s choice - 11 PAIN - All their bodies are wracked with Pain and they lose half their current HP - 12 MYSTERY - A present appears on the wheel. Have the player roll a d100. Give them something strange that reflects how well they did on the roll. (A fire Breathing Chicken, a tube of chapstick, a succubus silhouette bumper sticker.. You know... strange.
##### PUZZLE ROOM SOLUTION: - 1st Floor 3 Doors - Door 3 is the Exit - 2nd Floor 3 Bridges - Bridge 2 is the Exit - 3rd Floor 3 Staircases - Stair 1 is the Exit - 4th Floor 3 Trap Doors - Door 2 is the Exit - 5th Floor 3 Ropes - Bridge 3 is the Exit
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### 7) The Pillars of Ill Will This room is filled with pillars that stick up out of a spiked floor. Many of the pillars look damaged while some of them look safe. The trick of this room is to only leap to the damaged pillars. The good looking ones are a trap.
##### DESCRIPTION: Chamber of Pillars “The chamber ahead is divided by a large spiked pit full of rotting bodies and broken bones. Rising up out of that pit are a number of stone pillars in varying states of condition. Some look brand new while others look as if they could crumble at any moment. Hanging from the ceiling on rusty chains are dozens and dozens of corpses also in varying states of conditions. Some impaled by spears. Others have had hooks run through them. Many are just hanging from manacled chains in one way or another.”
##### PLAYER ACTIONS:
**Examine:** There is illusion magic at work here disguising the pillars. A (Hard) Perception or Investigation check will reveal that the corpses above and below are not corpses at all, but undead. Doing some sort of distance interaction will reveal this as well. You know pushing one with a 10’ pole or something. A (Very Hard) will tip them off to the trapped Pillars.
**Avoid the Pillars:** Typically avoiding the pillars (Rope, Fly, Enter the Pit) will activate the undead and cause them to swarn the avoider. Spells like Dimension Door that have greater range and capability can avoid the undead.
**HAZARD:** If they step on a trapped Pillar it will pitch them off into the hanging undead who will attack and maul the person. They will then drop them onto the spikes below. They should take 1d6 from the Hanging Undead, appropriate fall damage, and then 1d6 per round in the pit.
### 8) Mh'ulloth’s Lair They have arrived at Mh’ulloth’s Lair. The large room contains a beautiful and underground colonnade with an elven feel. (Giant gazebo). This is actually pretty close to the true cavern, only missing the side crypts, which have been replaced by archway statues. He and his Darkling minions lurk above in the shadows. He will have a minion beckon the players forward and give a weak attempt to recruit them. Characters with Psionic powers will have to roll an Easy Wis Save or be taken by a Charm like effect.
##### DESCRIPTION: Elven Colonnade “The cavern transitions into carved stone and well formed architecture. Elven by the look of it. Ahead, flickering torches dimly illuminate a large underground colonnade. The walls are lined with statues of twisted figures that appear trapped in stone archways. You do not think they are real or were real... but they are unsettling. The Colonnade fills almost the entirity of the chamber, and would be quite beautiful in any other situation. There are carvings of elven warriors up and down the pillars being slaughtered by dark figures in hooded cloaks.
##### DESCRIPTION: The Offer In At the center of this structure sits a small dark cloaked figure who rises at your approach. It bows in a welcoming manner. At the far end of the structure is a large magical archway ringed by floating stones and held together with arcane power. Through the archway a mist choked broken and barren land seeming void of color could be made out. Lightning flashed over the shadow land lighting up a ruined castle sitting out on a precipice.
"My Master welcomes you. He regrets the difficulties you have faced in order to reach us, but considers them a test of your mettle. One you have passed. The Hushed King invites you to side with him. To take a place in his armies. He is generous to those who prove their loyalty to his rule. Discuss among yourself if you wish. He understands that life changing choices should not be rushed.”
##### PLAYER ACTIONS: **Discuss the Offer:** The offer is legitimate. Insight checks should reflect that.
**Accept the Offer:** It is unlikely, but players may want to side with The Hushed King. I have had players jump sides to the enemy before when put into these situations. It is super fun to do in a one shot, maybe not an actual campaign though... Anyway, If they do, they will fight against the Party in the coming conflict.
**Refuse the Offer:** This will begin the conflict. The Darkling will say something polite and then the encounter will begin.
**Examine the Room:** A check can be made to examine the room. It is made at disadvantage if they want to be sneaky about it. A (Hard) Check will reveal other Darklings hiding in the shadows nearby. A (Very Hard) check will reveal that something large hides above the colonnade. This action will displease the Darkling in the center of the room, who will at this point demand an answer to the deal.
##### ENCOUNTER: Mh’ulloth As the fight begins Darklings will drop onto the battlefield. The Night Hag if she is still alive will also join the battle. They will engage the players intelligently although maybe not visciously. Mh’ulloth will always go last in the fight, and move into the battle from behind attacking the weakest member first. He will use its teleportation and invisibility powers to keep the group separated and isolate weaker members. It is extremely smart and tactically driven. It will also use its illusionary powers to create obstacles and decoys. Be sure to use both legenday actions and lair actions to their fullest. The goal here is not to kill the party, even if they do all get knocked down. The Hushed King would like to personally keep them in his dungeon. So if you encounter a TPK, which is very reasonable here, they will be taken to that Dungeon and not killed. ##### To the Conclusion... \page
## CONCLUSION ##### REWARDS: There are a lot of treasures here. Mostly gear from the old elven guardians. If they looted the treasures in the Shadow Pudding chamber they will recognize the style and type as that in which all the other Guardians are buried in. They could loot this place for a small fortune in similar equipment. DMs discretion. However, if they return what they have found, an Elven Spirit will appear and grant them each a boon. Perhaps a feat or some other minor power.
##### ONE SHOT ENDING: f you’re running this as a one shot. Have the Portal Crumble at the end of the “IF THEY WIN THE FIGHT” Narration.
##### IF THEY LOSE THE FIGHT: “Everything is completely black for what feels an infinite amount of time. But darkness gives way to darkness. And in that darkness you hear weeping and sobbing. Cries for freedom and moans of pain. You move. It hurts. Feeling around you realize you are in five by five pit with no doors. You stare upward trying to determine how deep you are, but all you see above is more empty darkness. Welcome to the prison of The Hushed King.”
``` ``` ##### IF THEY WIN THE FIGHT: “The creature and it’s minions lay dead at your feet. It begins to bubble and shift, melting into a slime that soon dissolves into a shadowy vapor. It has a noxious odor, like burning pitch. The room about you begins to shift. Stone and block melding and tumbling into new places. The Elven Colonnade remains, but all along the walls side tunnels that lead into dimly lit crypts appear. A large stair forms behind, back where you came from, daylight trickles in from the room at the top of the stair. The area has a peaceful feel to it… mostly… an angry and foreboding presence emanates from the Shadowy Archway. You feel a pull toward it. The Hushed King calls... “
##### ENTERING THE PORTAL: They may not return. And head straight into the portal and that is fine. End the session on that note.
##### RETURNING TO HOLLOW HOME: Halflings and others will be thrilled that the presence on this side of the Shadowfell has been dealt with. But there is the archway to deal with. They will have the chance to prepare and restock for the next part of the adventure.
## Thanks for playing an AOG Adventure. ##### I do want to take one last moment to sincerely thank you for playing an AOG Adventure. It means a lot to me as a creator. If you enjoyed it please leave me some comments on wherever you found this adventure. You can support more content like this by subscribing to our Patreon. [AMPLUS ORDO GAMES](https://www.patreon.com/amplusordogames)
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# APPENDICES ## PLAYING AN A.O.G. ADVENTURE If you’ve never played an AOG adventure, I thought it wise to give you some notes on how I write them. Cuz I do some stuff non traditional like. I’ll put those notes down in the Appendicies. #### Homebrewed World First off, almost all my adventures are set in my Homebrew World of Taalist, particularly the Continent of Krenshad. Which the majority of has a very Gothic Art and Renaissance Period cultural feel to it. With some Greek and Middle Eastern CUltre from the same time period thrown in there for flavor. That said… Almost all of my Adventures can be easily ported into your location of choice. If you would like to play in Taalist my Campaign Guide (All 150+ Pages of it) can be accessed on our Discord for Patreon Members. #### The Lay Out I divide my adventures into “Acts”. An Act doesn’t necessarily reflect an amount of time, but more of an important series of events or locations. Some Acts may take 5 minutes, some 5 hours. Why? I dunno, ask the players who over complicate simple matters and simplify the overly complex. #### Skill Check DCs I don’t spend a lot of time defining DCs as I play with a bit wider scale of success and failures. What does that mean? So for reference the DC scale in 5E looks like this.... Very Easy DC5, Easy DC10, Medium DC 15, Hard DC 20, Very Hard DC 25, Nearly Impossible DC 30. When I list a DC I will tell you it is Hard. But Hard for one party may be easy for another so I leave the actual number value up to you. I also play with a “Success but with Consequences” mentality so if they get close they still accomplish their goal but there is a “but” to that success. An Example? Hard Stealth DC is 20, they roll an 18, I tell them “You sneak past the guard you see but the guard you didn’t see heard something and is headed your way.” I think it adds more to the story that way. #### Search Checks I often reference Search Checks. What is a Search Check? When the players want to “search” something or for something I let them use either Investigation or Perception. I know that isn’t RAW but it just makes things so much easier. I got real tired of explaining to players who have been playing with me for years the difference between the two… just let them look for stuff! #### Opening Cutscene I like to start my games with an Opening Cutscene which is read before anything else happens. These are usually really vague bits of information that give a glimpse into something that will maybe happen later, happened before the adventure, or is story adjacent to it. I have found these to be great tools to set the mood and create a little mystery. ``` ``` #### Setting, Background Info, and Hooks These portions can be used as you see fit. Each one is a little different, so it is hard for me to say how best to use them. Some will play better if you can get them into the hands of the players before the game. Others may have better influence when read just after the Cutscene. Some are really only relevant to moments in the story. But as in all things you do what is best for your game! That is always the way to go. #### Skill Challenges I use the idea of Skill Challenges a lot. What is that? It is an event in the game that isn’t quite an encounter and it isn’t a simple skill check. It is a problem they solve with their whole skill set. Typically they must get three successes before three failures in order to succeed in a skill check. The thing about a Skill challenge is they’re are vague on purpose to allow players to be creative in solving a problem. An example may help here. > - DM says “Your Boat is taking on water. What would you like to do?” > - Player 1 responds with “I use my carpentry tools to fix the hole” and they make a Tool Check. But they roll a 2 so they fail. Too much water. > - Player 2 says “ wants to row harder with the crew to get us toward shore faster” They make an Athletics Check and roll an 18. So that is a success. > - Player 3 “I use Destroy Water to get water out” OK, well it only destroys 10 gallons so it isn’t super helpful, but the momentary reprieve allows a little drywork to happen and allow player 1 to reroll. > > *Stuff like this* \page
## ABOUT HORROR GAMES ##### What is a Horror Game? That question covers a lot of bases! But there are some core values that make a game a Horror Game, and they aren’t what a lot of people think. Sure it can be a gross out carnage and gore run with entrail and blood covered monstrosities, but far more often it is about the tension and mood of the game you are running. Horror games dive deep into setting a specific tension building tone and subverting player expectations. If you have access to Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, read it! It has a multitude of fantastic tips in it on what a Horror game is and can be!
##### Safety and Boundaries VRGtR talks about this a lot. Make sure you know your group’s boundaries and have a safety system in place when you play. You can google info about that real quick if you need to. But basically it is a way for players to let you know that you’re heading into territory that makes them uncomfortable in NOT a fun way. Then you as the DM can pause and redirect. Twas a time I thought that was lame and unnecessary… then I had a player have a breakdown. I didn’t know it was coming and in fact they didn’t either, but the narrative got way to close to home emotionally in regard to past trauma. Were there safety tools in place that player could have let me know, but instead they felt trapped there growing more and more uncomfortable until it was too late. So talk to your players and develop a plan to create and protect boundaries!
##### Tone and Subverting expectations. So lets talk about tone. Not the specific tone differences between say a gothic horror game and a cosmic horror game. The overall tone that horror should create. No matter what the style of the game is, horror games always promote feelings of rising tension and release. A lot of people compare this to a roller coaster, that’s close but coasters usually start big and end slower. Horror tends to work in reverse. Rising tension, small relief, more tension, more relief, high tension, little relief, you get the idea, and then it all comes racing to a finish at the end… or did it? Creating that kind of tension and not making your players miserable with it is a skill that you as the DM will need to develop. And one of the best ways to do that is to subvert their expectations.
This is another place where the Roller Coaster analogy kind of goes off the rails. (Yeah I punned that). You know on a coaster that after a long rise there is going to be a drop. You see it coming. You’ve watched it the entire time you were in line. It built excitement for that moment. But what if the coaster didn’t drop right there? What if it only dipped a little bit? What if the design of the track was intentionally misleading? That is the kind of tension you want to create.
Ever ride a Disney Coaster? Most of them are encased in a building or shoot through massive scenery that obscures your vision. That is 100% intentional, because were those coasters be open air they would be pretty lame, but the fact that you have no idea that there are dips and twists coming on that run-away-mine-train makes otherwise yawnable rides fun. That is horror. The players think something is about to happen, but what is really happening is over here. You ever do the pull a quarter out of a kid’s ear trick? If you’re good at it you learned to get them to look anywhere but at where you’re keeping that quarter, and then the moment they look away you grab their head and scream WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR EAR! OMG!... lol… don’t do that to children… that’s called trauma. But when it comes to Horror Games I’m sure you get the idea. Its basic illusion work, get them looking anywhere other than where the threat is.
You also need to play with tropes and then sometimes turn them on their heads. Folks say all the time they hate tropes. I’m just gonna put this out there… most people don’t know what they actually like and hate. People love tropes, they’re tropes for a reason. We play a game that in all of its core aspects is a living breathing trope and it is really hard to get away from it.
So what we’ve all done is embrace it, sometimes without realizing it, and that gives you a lot of room to take those things and flip them upside down. Horror leans into tropes all the time. A group of people get isolated and a creature picks them off one by one. That is the heart and soul of 90% of horror stories. That’s a trope. Strahd is one of the tropiest tropes that ever troped, and we all still love him. Tropes create a sense of security, players think they know what’s coming, and messing with that is your most effective tool in creating tension.
I ran Curse of Strahd a while back. It is wonderful as written, but I can’t help but mess with stuff so I jiggered the heck out of that module. In the run I introduced Colletta (the “Tatyanna”) character as the typical damsel in distress being chased by a Vampire. But then they met Strahd who was simply done with everything and determined to destroy his own realm. He was of course hot after Coletta as he always is, but more interested in the end of his curse. This turned him into an anti-hero of sorts, and every interaction with him was uncomfortable but helpful. . Now the players Never Ever Ever trusted Strahd, nor should they have. But Strahd was never the Villain of my story. Colletta was. I had given her access to past memories of her former lives and she was determined to not let Strahd free of his curse but instead to strip him of his powers and torment him herself forever. They players did so many horrible things to protect that damsel in distress and all the while were pawns to evil, meanwhile evil was attempting a true redemption that they denied him. Tropes used and expectations subverted. It was a glorious ending full of shock and horror. And I couldn’t have done it without leaning into tropes!
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##### Keep your Focus & Remember, Less is More Less is More, this old saying rings true in so many areas of life, and holds a lot of sway over Horror. How many monsters are there in most Horror stories? Most of the time there is only one. If there are more it is usually the same type of creature. There is a reason for that. One you should lean into. One very hard to kill creature is a lot scarier than dozens of slaughterable goons. “If it Bleeds We Can Kill It.” is a statement of Hope not Fact. Hope can be crushed. Now I’m not saying don’t use minions or random encounters or mini bosses. We need those in an Adventure. What I am saying is don’t drown your players in them, and never let the focus off your main threat. It is always there. Looming and lurking. In many ways it is the Monster’s story and no one else's. Doubt that? Think of most of the popular Horror Stories you know, who is easier to remember? The Monster or the People it is after? In almost every regard, your threat is your Protagonist. You still probably want your players to pull out a win, because that is fun for them, but your monster is your true star.
##### The World Doesn’t Work in Their Favor Normally, there are a lot of things that should work in the players favor. NPC cooperation is often one of them. But you’re out to create a general feel of suspicion and distrust. Therefore NPC and the World should give the impression of wanting to cooperate, but they often don’t.
##### Use Good Descriptive Words. It’s not just an Ogre. He isn’t just ugly. He is a hulking monstrocity nearly 10 feet tall covered in oozing sores and with chunks of flesh hanging between its rotting teeth.
##### Hunt Them Being Hunted by a monster is more nerve wracking than fighting it. Building on a feeling of dread and anticipation can really make people unsettled.
##### 2 Steps Forward 1 Step Back, Always… They never fully win. Everything has strings attached and ripple effects. You‘re out to create the shadow of hopelessness. They save a peasant from a monster but while they were helping them, something else bad happened. Not as bad, but they need to start to live with the feeling that they have too many fires to fight. Let them win once and awhile, but they should mostly be partial victories. I mean you don’t want to crush their souls or anything… wait… or do you… ?
##### Use a Kobayashi Maru Otherwise known as a No Win Situation. Someone is sick and dying and they can’t save them. Someone can’t be brought back from the dead because - reasons. They couldn’t prevent a village from being destroyed. And if they pull a Captain Kirk and try to cheat the system… well remind them that Star Trek is fiction and this is D&D.
##### Force Them to Make Terrible Choices In a regular game a BBEG might monologue and they could come up with a way to save the day. Yeah, no that doesn’t happen here. If the BBEG is monologuing it is because he knows they can’t stop them and they think it is amusing. There are two guillotine and two people trapped in them. They literally no matter what can only save one. Those type of things. I have even killed a player very early in the campaign to emphasis that in a Horror Game villains don’t piss around. ##### Enforce Consequences. If they make a bad choice they pay for it. This is a great way to chip away at their morale. However, often a player can easily deal with bad choices affecting them. But… If they have an NPC ally that is helping them. That NPC pays for it. Big Bad Evil Guys don’t like their plans being messed with. Hurt the helpless and your players will become extremely nervous. Hurt someone they don’t want to mess with and they will be down right scared. Now, this does not work on Murder Hobos... at first… because players like that don’t care about things like NPCs… but there are things they do care about, and once the consequence affects those things it hurts bad. ##### Chipping Away at Their Sanity I highly reccomend using a sanity mechanic. There are lots of good ones out there that don't come across as blunt force trauma immediately. The things they see in a Horror Game should unsettle the characters deeply. In fact if we're honest most of what adventurers do and see should leave emotional and psychological trauma in their wake. Lean into that. When they see something have them make a sanity check... the more they fail the harder the checks get. And the more unhinged thier behavior becomes. Will they even be able to tell friend from foe by the end of the game? Hopefully at least one of them wont! Because having someone's character completely go off the rails is a good time in a game like this!
##### SUPER IMPORTANT
##### Give Them a Flower in the Desert The last thing I will leave you with is a very easy and simple notion. Don’t constantly oppress the players. Horror has a lot of things that chip away at a person's resolve, and if you don’t lift them up once and a while they’ll give up. In D&D that means they stop having fun. The Flower in the Desert concept is exactly what it sounds like. Give them something fun and wonderful once and a while. Give them a scene of beauty not terror. Give them a flower in the desert. It keeps them going, becomes a tension release, and helps relieve the stress of the adventure. Humor is often one of your best avenues, but a real spot of world building beauty is something they will always remember!
##### The End? I’ve got a ton more I could say about all things Horror, but I gotta wrap it up somewhere. If you want to pick my brain about it, send me a message where you found this and I’ll get back to ya! \page
## EXPANDED LORE **The Weave Drought** Forty years ago the rivers of magic went dry. No one knows why it happened, although there is great speculation that the Weave withdrew itself to prevent further abuses of its power. The disappearance of Magic caused havoc worldwide as many nations had built the foundations of their societies upon it. Some retained slivers of power, but rarely past rudimentary magics and cantrips. Even then the effort and skill required to cast such spell was great and extremely taxing to the caster. Practitioners of the magical arts whether they were Natural, Divine, or Arcane desperately sought a way to restore their powers. They captured and killed “magical” creatures conducting strange experiments designed to draw power from them. This was rarely successful, and instead drove many of these creatures into “extinction”. They also attempted to recycle the power in Magical items hoping to capture the essence within them. This was a more successful avenue, but even then the results were limited and temporary. What turned out to be most successful was the accepting of dark gifts from shadowy patrons. Hags and other fell beings seemed unaffected by the drought, and while at first they were hunted, they later were sought out so that they might bestow power on supplicants. And of course they did, but always at a high cost to those who came begging. The absence of magic gave rise to what is known as the Age of Red Steel. A time where Warlords brutally ruled the lands but the strength of their sword-arms.
But now, very recently, the power of the Weave has returned. Like a flood it washed over the lands, magical items, places, and creatures, long thought mundane, were now empowered, often in dangerous ways. The governments of the world have taken notice and have initiated a Magica Arms race of sorts. In many lands, those who can touch the Weave are taken captive and forced into the service of the ruling Warlord. In other places, they are assassinated by a nation’s rival in order to strip their enemies of the power they bring. Many casters go into hiding or gather around them an organization that values their skills and can offer them protection. Unfortunately a good many people who find they have power use it for selfish gains and end up causing much suffering for the common folk. And so those who can focus the Weave’s power are often treated with greater suspicion and often violent reactions. ## IMPORTANT LOCATIONS #### Balinovia, The Republic of **Summary:** Balinovia was once an advanced cultural and industrial society that has stumbled backward thanks to brutal infighting and rebellions in the past century. It has a Northern Italy feel to it with steep mountains and lightly forested valleys. It is one of the more Racially diverse countries being about 50% Human, 20% Elf, 15% Dwarf, 10% Halfling, 5% Other. Although Racism is prevalent and folk tend to draw into communities of their own people. They tend to be Monotheistic but a little on the mysticism side with a heavy Nature theme. They present themselves as a Republic Governmentally, but the reality is that they are a Dictatorship with fierce infighting Warlords who form a “Noble Council”.
Andro Cordasco, Pirate turned conqueror, sits as “Prime Minister” and rules from the city of Bruchella. Their economy, once the envy of the world, struggles to even care for its own people. The rural communities farm enough to feed themselves, but they are usually taxed so heavily that starvation and hunger among the common folk is rampant. With the looming Blood Axe threat, most of their industry has been turned toward creating implements of war. Balnovians have little respect for law, but there is some for order. Unfortunately the tone of the land are “Everyone for Themselves” and “If you’re not part of my group you’re probably a problem.”
**History:** A Large forest country in the South West of the continent of Krenahad. Balinovian history teaches that Atticus, one of the brothers from the Old Kren Empire, was so disillusioned with infighting and the division of the Empire after their father’s death and sailed west with his army and their families. Shortly after building their first settlement Atticus and his men discovered a local tribe of elves who welcomed the newcomers to their land.
The immense forested area was home to dozens of tribes from nearly every race of Surface Folk all living in relative peace. Atticus invited the tribal leaders to join him in what would later be called “The Council of Nations” and soon after the newcomers were an accepted member of the society. Centuries later Balinova was a racially diverse land with a fully functioning Democratic Republic government. The only country on Krenshad with an Eastern and Western Seaport they became a nation at home on the sea and in the deep forests of the world. In other Nations races people aren’t accustomed to seeing were often labeled as Balinovians
After the War of the Pentad much of that changed. The devastation the Storm Lord brought about fractured this side of the continent. Balinovia was split into pieces. The North West was drowned in the ocean that rushed in upon them and is now known as the Straight of Corpses. The North East struggled for years to recover and eventually become the Nation of Rigochald. The floodwaters washed over the central areas transforming them into The Blood Marsh, a reeking bog land filled with the bodies of the dead. It is now inhabited by the Orcs of Adez-Ogg, the Blood Axe Tribe. The South split away along the river that once marked the line between North and South Balinovia. The fracture was so great that it dropped half of their capital city into the newly created canyon below. The river was widened by miles and created the Channel of Despair which now connects The Sea of Unity to the Dragon Maw Bay. Although few sail this route due to the high risk of being attacked by the Blood Axe Orcs.
**Currently:** Balinovia has become a never ending battlefield as factions and groups attempt to size power for themselves. If it were not for the Blood Axe invasion in 407 the Nation surely would have torn itself completely apart. But they rallied together to push the Orcs back across the Channel into the Blood Marsh. This event brought some unity back to the people, but not much. Balinovians have come to believe that they can only really truly depend on themselves and no one else. They are loosely led by Andro Cordasco, Pirate turned conqueror. Andro cares not if those under him struggle for dominance, as long as the tribute he demands is paid. He runs the Nation under the facade of a Council of Nobles, which is really just a group of local tyrants sharing a semi common goal. Get rich and die old.
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#### Adez-Ogg, Clan Blood Axe **Summary:** A brutal Orc nation living in the swamps of Blood Marsh. They have made it their goal to destroy Balinovia to the south. Their racial breakdown is 90% Orc, 9% Goblinoid Races and Kobolds, 1% Other. They have a Tropical Tribal motif, particularly that of the West Indies. Their Government Structure is a form of Barbaric Feudalism where the strongest rule up front and the Priestesses of Gruumsh rule from the shadows. They are currently led by Warchief Zurgha Flesh-Eater and High Prophet, The Night Mother. Their economy is weak with most Orcs infighting for resources. They are capable smiths and weapon crafters however. For food sources they take to hunting and gathering, which includes pillaging of their neighbors. They are extremely religious and faithful to Gruumsh. Their practice resembles a lot of occultic voodooism. While not really a “Lawful” society in a cultural sense, they do deeply respect their own customs and rules. They would be considered quite evil by civilized standards, and are extremely racist toward outsiders “Orc Is Best. Eat All The Rest!”. They have no qualms about murder and mayhem. If they were to be summed up in a local philosophy it would be. “Only the Strong are Worthy”
**History:** The Adez-Ogg, or Blood Axe, Orcs had been isolated in a large valley in the Red Peak Mountains and overlooked for Centuries, rarely coming into contact with outsiders. The Pentad War changed all of that. When the Crimson Brands crash landed in their backyard the Orcs’ eyes were opened to a world beyond. Shortly after that they marched south into the Blood Marsh and claimed the territory. They lived there for decades, completely unnoticed. They had however noticed Balinovia which lay across The Channel of Despair, and in the untraveled hills of the Dragon’s Teeth Mountains they gathered slaves and soldiers from among the other dark races quietly building a powerful army.
The timing of their attack couldn’t have caught the Balinovian’s at a worse time. The county had spiraled into a boody feudal war as local nobles led their people to battle in an attempt to assert dominance. The Orcs swept in and raided the entire center of the nation within a month. Although this forced the Balinovians to work together to push the Orcs back they had already carried off a great amount of plunder. The Orcs withdrew back across the river and have continued to rebuild their strength. Warcamps line the north side of the Channel and the drums of war can be heard up and down the waterway every night. They have also taken to building vessels and raiding merchant ships darting through the Strait of Corpses, but their eyes always lay to the South where from time to time they launch raids against their neighbors, but it is never anything more than a skirmish or a quick plunder run. Skirmishes are one thing, but every Balinovian knows that someday the Orcs will return and when they do there will be blood.
The Blood Axe tribe’s public leader is always The War Chief. War Chiefs are chosen out of the strongest among them. The Orcs gain “Stripes” across their backs. A wicked slice of a poison coated falchion after they perform a great deed. The festering wound stays open for weeks and if the Orc survives then their bravery is true. If they die… they were a coward. A great wound in battle also counts as a scar when it comes to standing among them. So it is not uncommon for the sitting Warchief to have dozens of scars.
The warchief is not always the warrior with the most scars, but the one who is strongest in battle. Any Orc with six or more scars can challenge the sitting Chieftain. But it is not the Warchief that truly leads the Blood Axe Tribe by the prophets of Gruumsh who are the shadowy puppeteers of the tribe’s leaders. No Warchief dare disobey Gruumsh, and it is the shaman who declare the will of their god.
**Currently:** The sitting Warchief is a massive female by the name of Zurgha Flesh-Eater and the High Prophet is a female that goes by the title The Night Mother. They make a terrifying team and have been preparing day and night for their next invasion of Balinovia. Which, they will launch as soon a Gruumsh speaks. Zurgha has a battalion fo 100 of her strongest warriors at her side nearly night and day, and Night Mother has a coven of both Orc and Otherworldly beings dedicated to Gruumsh at her beck and call. Were there not so much hate between the family tribes of Clan Blood Axe, they would be the most dangerous force on the Continent. Even so, they still may be.
#### Cuzzano, The City State of **Summary:** Cuzzano is a fascinating city, with advanced steam level technology city built in a massive cavern riverway and on top of a ten mile round water reservoir. In many ways they hold Balinovia and Cetnovia trade interests hostage with their water supplies, as the flow out of this reservoir is the main feed to the other nations’ major riverways. They are not a hostile society and in many ways resemble Switzerland in both culture and attitude toward their neighbors. Sporting a fairly diverse racial profile with 45% Human, 25% Dwarf, 10% Gnome, 20% Other, Cuzzano doesn’t have the racial tensions that many other places do. They do however run their city under a very severe caste system based off of aptitude and ability. It is said in Cuzzano that if you have skills you don’t need a race. If you have no aptitudes then you don’t exist anyway. Faith wise they’re pretty agnostic, but flavored with some arcane mysticism. Their economy relies almost exclusively on trade, and they have a lot to offer, not just water. Their inventions and toolwork are world renown. Governmentally they’re a bit odd. The country has Councils of Craftsman’s Guilds, Merchants, and Artisans, but all of these are overseen by Baron Xalgrim Bloodgear a genius level gnomish inventor and artificer. Xalgrim is known for his deadly inventions as well as his ruthlessness in both trade and social situations. If there was a national belief it would be that “Advancement is the only worthy pursuit.”
**History:** One of the most interesting locales in Krenshad, Cuzzano is considered by many to be one of the wonders of the world. Nestled high in the mountains between Balinovia and Cetnovia the city is built at the conjunction of several large waterfalls and one large underground river that bursts out of a cavern. Naturally these waters flowed into only Cetnovia, but almost 300 years ago clever engineers from the neighboring countries built an immense retaining wall some ten miles in diameter around the outer edges of the area and let it fill with water creating a vast reservoir. They then opened floodgates on either side letting the water flow into great rivers that feed the both the Blainovian and Cetnovian countrysides. For centuries the two nations considered Cuzzano a shared city and resource, and this arrangement created an extremely diverse racial population.
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The city itself is built into three districts. The wealthy have constructed a large settlement on the pillar in at the center of the reservoir some two miles wide. The middle class occupies the space created on the walls and up the sides of the nearby mountains, while the poor live shanty towns in the river cavern where no permanent structures are allowed to be built out of fear that they might endanger the integrity of the cavern and cut off the major water source.
Cuzzano proclaimed its independence after the Plague of Worms, and there was little either nation could do about it. Both had been devastated by natural disasters, the plague, and infighting. Cuzzano now holds both lands' major sources of freshwater for ransom, and demands a high price to keep the rivers flowing. Again, there is little either nation can do to change the situation, a wall large enough to keep in ten square miles of water also happens to be a formidable defensive structure. The Balinovians once attempted to lay siege and Cuzzano simply opened the full flood gate and washed the entire army down the mountains to their deaths. The siege lasted less than a day.
**Currently:** Cuzzano has slipped into a deep Caste System chiefly based on racial and economic standing. Here Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes make up the bulk of the ruling and middle classes. With other races rarely escaping the caverns. However, it values those with skills and skills produce coin. Folk that display an aptitude for artisan level work whether in practical pursuits or the arts can find themselves quickly elevated out of lower statuses. It is also one of the only places left on Krenshad that bothers to educate its people. Even the poor have access to schooling. Cuzzano is currently governed by Water Baron Xalgrim Bloodgear, a Gnome Artificer turned Warlord. He was born Xalgrim Brassgears. It was the people who began calling him Bloodgear due to his unique style of eliminating his enemies. Xalgrim was tickled by the moniker and adopted it as his surname. #### Hollow Home The village of the Ghostwise Halflings of the Whisper Wood. Hidden in the boughs of some of the largest trees of the forest, Hollow Home is one of the more secret settlements in the world. The village consists of only a few structures that could be classified as buildings. The rest of the locals dwellings are little more than covered and furnished hollows in the trees large enough to make a simple home out of. The village typically houses about 100 individuals, most of whom have been trained to ride and use Giant Owls as mounts and hunting animals. The Nightgliders, as they are known, is a small group of Owl Riders who have sworn oaths to an unknown Forest Patron to keep the land free of evils.
#### The Franssisi Mountains Named after San Franssisi, Parton Saint of nature and beasts, the mountains run the length of the southern border of Balinovia. They are forest covered and teeming with wildlife, some quite dangerous.
#### The Touno River (Thundering River) Spills down from Cuzzano and across the countryside. Skirting the Franssisi Mountains the river rushes wildy and filled with rapids and waterfalls making it technically impassable by boat, although there are stretches where one could use a small craft.
#### The Whisper Wood A thick old growth forest covering a 50 mile stretch of land between the Touno River and the Franssisi Mountains. The Whisper Wood has long held a dark reputation. It is said those who wander too far from the road never return, but the truth is the Ghostwise Halflings who dwell there and their Giant Owl mounts have long protected forest. Their unique skills and culture keep the area safe and deal with any evils that may try to take root.
## IMPORTANT NPCs #### Taryvir Moongaze Taryvir is “Captain” of the Nightgliders, the Ghostwise Owl Riders, but only by default. His wife Finla was the Captain until she succumbed to the malady causing the Halflings to sleep. He is bold and brave, well skilled with weapons, and a keen huntsman. But he is a simple man and does not have his wife’s mind for strategy. He is desperate to save his people, and is taking a great risk in contacting outsiders.
#### The Nightgliders Normally this a group of twenty Ghostwise Halflings tasked with guarding the Whisper Wood from evils. Only four remain; Glinda, Harlow, Burgan, and Uli. The others have all either disappeared or fallen asleep.
#### Mh'ulloth The aberration villain of the story. Mh'ulloth, is a Balhannoth, a slug-like creature from the Shadowfell. Mh'ulloth is a high ranking servant of the Hushed King, and is currently working toward freeing his master. Mh'ulloth is a cruel creature who loves playing with and torturing his victims before devouring them. Balhannoth have the power to warp reality around them and particularly like creating challenges that terrify those who enter within his range.
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## MAP: Eastern Balinovia \page
## MAP: The Whisper Wood DM \page
## MAP: The Whisper Wood Player \page
## MAP: The "Dryad" Grove \page
## MAP: The Cavern of Lost Hope \page
## STAT BLOCKS ___ ___ >## Ankheg >*Large monstrosity, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 14 (natural armor), 11 while prone >- **Hit Points** 39 (6d10 + 6) >- **Speed** 30 ft., burrow 10 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|17 (+3)|11 (+0)|13 (+1)|1 (-5)|13 (+1)|6 (-2)| >___ >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 11 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 2 (450 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >### Actions >***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage plus 3 (1d6) acid damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the ankheg can bite only the grappled creature and has advantage on attack rolls to do so. > >***Acid Spray (Recharge 6).*** The ankheg spits acid in a line that is 30 feet long and 5 feet wide, provided that it has no creature grappled. Each creature in that line must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. ___ ___ >## Carrion Crawler >*Large monstrosity, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 51 (6d10 + 18) >- **Speed** 30 ft., climb 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|14 (+2)|13 (+1)|16 (+3)|1 (-5)|12 (+1)|5 (-3)| >___ >- **Skills** Perception +3 >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 2 (450 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Keen Smell.*** The carrion crawler has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. > >***Spider Climb.*** The carrion crawler can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The carrion crawler makes two attacks: one with its tentacles and one with its bite. > >***Tentacles.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 4 (1d4 + 2) poison damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. Until this poison ends, the target is paralyzed. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the poison on itself on a success. > >***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 7 (2d4 + 2) piercing damage. ___ ___ >## Darkling >*Small fey, chaotic neutral* >___ >- **Armor Class** 14 (leather armor) >- **Hit Points** 13 (3d6 + 3) >- **Speed** 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|9 (-1)|16 (+3)|12 (+1)|10 (+0)|12 (+1)|10 (+0)| >___ >- **Skills** Acrobatics +5, Deception +2, Perception +5, Stealth +7 >- **Senses** blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15 >- **Languages** Elvish, Sylvan >- **Challenge** 1/2 (100 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Death Flash.*** When the darkling dies, nonmagical light flashes out from it in a 10-foot radius as its body and possessions, other than metal or magic objects, burn to ash. Any creature in that area and able to see the bright light must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of the creature's next turn. > >***Light Sensitivity.*** While in bright light, the darkling has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. > >### Actions >***Dagger.*** *Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. *Hit:* 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage. If the darkling has advantage on the attack roll, the attack deals an extra 7 (2d6) piercing damage. \page
___ ___ >## Darkmantle Swarm >*gragantuan monstrosity, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 11 >- **Hit Points** 120 (5d6 + 5) >- **Speed** 10 ft., fly 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|16 (+3)|12 (+1)|13 (+1)|2 (-4)|10 (+0)|5 (-3)| >___ >- **Skills** Stealth +3 >- **Senses** blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 10 >- **Condition Immunities** charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 1/2 (100 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Echolocation.*** The darkmantle can't use its blindsight while deafened. > >***False Appearance.*** While the darkmantle remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a cave formation such as a stalactite or stalagmite. > >### Actions >***Crush.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and a singular darkmantle attaches to the target. If the target is Medium or smaller the darkmantle it attaches by engulfing the target's head, and the target is also blinded and unable to breathe while the darkmantle is attached in this way. >While attached to the target, the darkmantle can attack no other creature except the target but has advantage on its attack rolls. The darkmantle's speed also becomes 0, it can't benefit from any bonus to its speed, and it moves with the target. >A creature can detach the darkmantle by making a successful DC 13 Strength check as an action. On its turn, the darkmantle can detach itself from the target by using 5 feet of movement. > >***Darkness Aura (1/Day).*** A 50-foot radius of magical darkness extends out from the swarm, moves with it, and spreads around corners. The darkness lasts as long as the darkmantles maintain concentration, up to 10 minutes (as if concentrating on a spell). Darkvision can't penetrate this darkness, and no natural light can illuminate it. If any of the darkness overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell creating the light is dispelled. ___ ___ >## Displacer Beast >*Large monstrosity, lawful evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 85 (10d10 + 30) >- **Speed** 40 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|18 (+4)|15 (+2)|16 (+3)|6 (-2)|12 (+1)|8 (-1)| >___ >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 3 (700 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Avoidance.*** If the displacer beast is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails. > >***Displacement.*** The displacer beast projects a magical illusion that makes it appear to be standing near its actual location, causing attack rolls against it to have disadvantage. If it is hit by an attack, this trait is disrupted until the end of its next turn. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The displacer beast makes two attacks with its tentacles. > >***Tentacle.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) piercing damage. \page
___ ___ >## Giant Elk, Shadow >*Huge beast, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 14 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 70 (5d12 + 10) >- **Speed** 60 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|19 (+4)|16 (+3)|14 (+2)|7 (-2)|14 (+2)|10 (+0)| >___ >- **Skills** Perception +4 >- **Damage Resistances** cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered >- **Condition Immunities** charmed >- **Senses** passive Perception 14 >- **Languages** Giant Elk, understands Common, Elvish, Sylvan but can't speak them >- **Challenge** 2 (450 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Shadow Charge.*** If the elk moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Furthermore, the Elk can use Shadows to do this. Using 5' of movement per shadow it leaps in and out of of them, one to another, until it atttacks. If the elk succeeds in attacking a target while running through shadows and the target fails its save the target is pushed into a nearby shadow and reappears at a shadow of the elk's choosing within 30' >***Shadowy.*** The elk projects a magical illusion of shadow that masks it actual location causing it to appear to be standing nearby. Attack rolls against it to have disadvantage. If it is hit by an attack, this trait is disrupted until the end of its next turn. > >### Actions >***Ram.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. > >***Hooves.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one prone creature. *Hit:* 22 (4d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. ___ ___ >## Ettercap >*Medium monstrosity, neutral evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 44 (8d8 + 8) >- **Speed** 30 ft., climb 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|14 (+2)|15 (+2)|13 (+1)|7 (-2)|12 (+1)|8 (-1)| >___ >- **Skills** Perception +3, Stealth +4, Survival +3 >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 2 (450 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Spider Climb.*** The ettercap can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. > >***Web Sense.*** While in contact with a web, the ettercap knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web. > >***Web Walker.*** The ettercap ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The ettercap makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws. > >***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) poison damage. The target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. > >***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage. > >***Web (Recharge 5–6).*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one Large or smaller creature. *Hit:* The creature is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained creature can make a DC 11 Strength check, escaping from the webbing on a success. The effect ends if the webbing is destroyed. The webbing has AC 10, 5 hit points, is vulnerable to fire damage and immune to bludgeoning, poison and psychic damage. \page
___ ___ >## Mh'ulloth (Balhannoth) >*Large aberration, chaotic evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 17 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 150 (12d10 + 90) >- **Speed** 25 ft., climb 25 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|17 (+3)|8 (-1)|18 (+4)|12 (+1)|15 (+2)|14 (+2)| >___ >- **Saving Throws** Con +8, Int +8, WIs +8, Cha +8 >- **Skills** Perception +12 >- **Condition Immunities** blinded >- **Senses** blindsight 500 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 16 >- **Languages** understands Deep Speech, telepathy 1 mile >- **Challenge** 11 (7,200 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +4 >___ >***Legendary Resistance (3/Day).*** If the balhannoth fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The balhannoth makes a bite attack and up to two tentacle attacks, or it makes up to four tentacle attacks. > >***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 25 (4d10 + 3) piercing damage. > >***Tentacle.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15) and is moved up to 5 feet toward the balhannoth. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the balhannoth can't use this tentacle against other targets. The balhannoth has four tentacles. > >### Legendary Actions >The balhannoth can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The balhannoth regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. > >- **Bite Attack.** The balhannoth makes one bite attack against one creature it has grappled. >- **Teleport.** The balhannoth magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying and any creatures it has grappled, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. >- **Vanish.** The balhannoth magically becomes invisible for up to 10 minutes or until immediately after it makes an attack roll. >### Lair Actions >- **Teleport.** The balhannoth targets one creature within 500 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or the target, along with whatever it is wearing and carrying, teleports to an unoccupied space of the balhannoth's choice within 60 feet of it. This can be used to summon allies. >- **Invisibility.** The balhannoth targets one creature within 500 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or the balhannoth becomes invisible to that creature for 1 minute. This effect ends if the balhannoth attacks the target. >- **Peaceful Intrusion** The balhannoth projects a peaceful illusioninto the mind of a nearby creature. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or believe the illusion and begin to interact peacefully with it until the start of the Balhannoth's next turn. Any violent actions taken agians the target break the illusionary peacefulness. ___ ___ >## Minotaur Skeleton >*Large undead, lawful evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 12 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 67 (9d10 + 18) >- **Speed** 40 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|18 (+4)|11 (+0)|15 (+2)|6 (-2)|8 (-1)|5 (-3)| >___ >- **Damage Vulnerabilities** bludgeoning >- **Damage Immunities** poison >- **Condition Immunities** exhaustion, poisoned >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 >- **Languages** understands Abyssal but can't speak >- **Challenge** 2 (450 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Charge.*** If the skeleton moves at least 10 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone. > >### Actions >***Greataxe.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 17 (2d12 + 4) slashing damage. > >***Gore.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. \page
___ ___ >## Night Hag >*Medium fiend, neutral evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 17 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 112 (15d8 + 45) >- **Speed** 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|18 (+4)|15 (+2)|16 (+3)|16 (+3)|14 (+2)|16 (+3)| >___ >- **Skills** Deception +7, Insight +6, Perception +6, Stealth +6 >- **Damage Resistances** cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered >- **Condition Immunities** charmed >- **Senses** darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16 >- **Languages** Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Primordial >- **Challenge** 5 (1,800 XP) or 7 (2,900 XP) when part of a coven >- **Proficiency Bonus** +3 >___ >***Innate Spellcasting.*** The hag's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components: > >At will: *detect magic*, *magic missile* > >2/day each: *plane shift* (self only), *ray of enfeeblement*, *sleep* > > 1st level (4 slots): identify, ray of sickness > >2nd level (3 slots): hold person, locate object > >3rd level (3 slots): bestow curse, counterspell, lightning bolt > >4th level (3 slots): phantasmal killer, polymorph > >5th level (2 slots): contact other plane, scrying > >6th level (1 slot): eyebite > > >***Magic Resistance.*** The hag has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. > >***Night Hag Items.*** A night hag carries two very rare magic items that she must craft for herself. If either object is lost, the night hag will go to great lengths to retrieve it, as creating a new tool takes time and effort. >Heartstone: This lustrous black gem allows a night hag to become ethereal while it is in her possession. The touch of a heartstone also cures any disease. Crafting a heartstone takes 30 days. >Soul Bag: When an evil humanoid dies as a result of a night hag's Nightmare Haunting, the hag catches the soul in this black sack made of stitched flesh. A soul bag can hold only one evil soul at a time, and only the night hag who crafted the bag can catch a soul with it. Crafting a soul bag takes 7 days and a humanoid sacrifice (whose flesh is used to make the bag). > >### Actions >***Claws (Hag Form Only).*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage. > >***Change Shape.*** The hag magically polymorphs into a Small or Medium female humanoid, or back into her true form. Her statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment she is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. She reverts to her true form if she dies. > >***Etherealness.*** The hag magically enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. To do so, the hag must have a heartstone in her possession. > >***Nightmare Haunting (1/Day).*** While on the Ethereal Plane, the hag magically touches a sleeping humanoid on the Material Plane. A *protection from evil and good* spell cast on the target prevents this contact, as does a magic circle. As long as the contact persists, the target has dreadful visions. If these visions last for at least 1 hour, the target gains no benefit from its rest, and its hit point maximum is reduced by 5 (1d10). If this effect reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and if the target was evil, its soul is trapped in the hag's soul bag. The reduction to the target's hit point maximum lasts until removed by the *greater restoration* spell or similar magic. ___ ___ >## Owlbear, Large >*Large monstrosity, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 80 (10d10 + 30) >- **Speed** 40 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|20 (+5)|12 (+1)|17 (+3)|3 (-4)|12 (+1)|7 (-2)| >___ >- **Skills** Perception +3 >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 3 (700 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Keen Sight and Smell.*** The owlbear has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight or smell. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The owlbear makes two attacks: one with its beak and one with its claws. > >***Beak.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 10 (1d10 + 7) piercing damage. > >***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 14 (2d8 + 7) slashing damage. \page
___ ___ >## Giant Owl >*Large beast, neutral* >___ >- **Armor Class** 12 >- **Hit Points** 19 (3d10 + 3) >- **Speed** 5 ft., fly 60 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|13 (+1)|15 (+2)|12 (+1)|8 (-1)|13 (+1)|10 (+0)| >___ >- **Skills** Perception +5, Stealth +4 >- **Senses** darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15 >- **Languages** Giant Owl, understands Common, Elvish, and Sylvan but can't speak them >- **Challenge** 1/4 (50 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Flyby.*** The owl doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy's reach. > >***Keen Hearing and Sight.*** The owl has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or sight. > >### Actions >***Talons.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 8 (2d6 + 1) slashing damage. ___ ___ >## Redcap >*Small fey, chaotic evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 45 (6d6 + 24) >- **Speed** 25 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|18 (+4)|13 (+1)|18 (+4)|10 (+0)|12 (+1)|9 (-1)| >___ >- **Skills** Athletics +6, Perception +3 >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 >- **Languages** Common, Sylvan >- **Challenge** 3 (700 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Iron Boots.*** While moving, the redcap has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. > >***Outsize Strength.*** While grappling, the redcap is considered to be Medium. Also, wielding a heavy weapon doesn't impose disadvantage on its attack rolls. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The redcap makes three attacks with its wicked sickle. > >***Wicked Sickle.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 9 (2d4 + 4) slashing damage. > >***Ironbound Pursuit.*** The redcap moves up to its speed to a creature it can see and kicks with its iron boots. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 20 (3d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. ___ ___ >## Rot Troll >*Large giant, chaotic evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 16 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 138 (12d10 + 72) >- **Speed** 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|18 (+4)|13 (+1)|22 (+6)|5 (-3)|8 (-1)|4 (-3)| >___ >- **Skills** Perception +3 >- **Damage Immunities** necrotic >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 >- **Languages** Giant >- **Challenge** 9 (5,000 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +4 >___ >***Rancid Degeneration.*** At the end of each of the troll's turns, each creature within 5 feet of it takes 11 (2d10) necrotic damage, unless the troll has taken acid or fire damage since the end of its last turn. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The troll makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws. > >***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 16 (3d10) necrotic damage. > >***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 5 (1d10) necrotic damage. \page
___ ___ >## Shadow Pudding >*Large ooze, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 7 >- **Hit Points** 85 (10d10 + 30) >- **Speed** 20 ft., climb 20 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|16 (+3)|5 (-3)|16 (+3)|1 (-5)|6 (-2)|1 (-5)| >___ >- **Damage Immunities** acid, cold, fire, slashing >- **Condition Immunities** blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone >- **Senses** blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 4 (1,100 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Amorphous.*** The pudding can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. > >***Spider Climb.*** The pudding can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. > >***Shadow Shlurp.*** The pudding can slip in an rearby shadow and out of another shadow within 30' without provoking an attack of oppertunity. > >***Corrosive Form.*** A creature that touches the pudding or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 4 (1d8) acid damage. Any nonmagical weapon made of metal or wood that hits the pudding corrodes. After dealing damage, the weapon takes a permanent and cumulative −1 penalty to damage rolls. If its penalty drops to −5, the weapon is destroyed. Nonmagical ammunition made of metal or wood that hits the pudding is destroyed after dealing damage. The pudding can eat through 2-inch-thick, nonmagical wood or metal in 1 round. > >### Actions >***Pseudopod.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) acid damage. In addition, nonmagical armor worn by the target is partly dissolved and takes a permanent and cumulative −1 penalty to the AC it offers. The armor is destroyed if the penalty reduces its AC to 10. > >### Reactions >***Split.*** When a pudding that is Medium or larger is subjected to fire or slashing damage, it splits into two new puddings if it has at least 10 hit points. Each new pudding has hit points equal to half the original pudding's, rounded down. New puddings are one size smaller than the original pudding. ___ ___ >## Shambling Mound >*Large plant, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 15 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 136 (16d10 + 48) >- **Speed** 20 ft., swim 20 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|18 (+4)|8 (-1)|16 (+3)|5 (-3)|10 (+0)|5 (-3)| >___ >- **Skills** Stealth +2 >- **Damage Resistances** cold, fire >- **Damage Immunities** lightning >- **Condition Immunities** blinded, deafened, exhaustion >- **Senses** blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 5 (1,800 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +3 >___ >***Lightning Absorption.*** Whenever the shambling mound is subjected to lightning damage, it takes no damage and regains a number of hit points equal to the lightning damage dealt. > >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The shambling mound makes two slam attacks. If both attacks hit a Medium or smaller target, the target is grappled (escape DC 14), and the shambling mound uses its Engulf on it. > >***Slam.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. > >***Engulf.*** The shambling mound engulfs a Medium or smaller creature grappled by it. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the mound's turns or take 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the mound moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The mound can have only one creature engulfed at a time. \page
___ ___ >## Giant Spider >*Large beast, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 14 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 26 (4d10 + 4) >- **Speed** 30 ft., climb 30 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|14 (+2)|16 (+3)|12 (+1)|2 (-4)|11 (+0)|4 (-3)| >___ >- **Skills** Stealth +7 >- **Senses** blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 1 (200 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Spider Climb.*** The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. > >***Web Sense.*** While in contact with a web, the spider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web. > >***Web Walker.*** The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing. > >### Actions >***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way. > >***Web (Recharge 5–6).*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. *Hit:* The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage). ___ ___ >## Will-o'-Wisp >*Tiny undead, chaotic evil* >___ >- **Armor Class** 19 >- **Hit Points** 22 (9d4) >- **Speed** 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover) >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|1 (-5)|28 (+9)|10 (+0)|13 (+1)|14 (+2)|11 (+0)| >___ >- **Damage Resistances** acid, cold, fire, necrotic, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks >- **Damage Immunities** lightning, poison >- **Condition Immunities** exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious >- **Senses** darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12 >- **Languages** the languages it knew in life >- **Challenge** 2 (450 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +2 >___ >***Consume Life.*** As a bonus action, the will-o'-wisp can target one creature it can see within 5 feet of it that has 0 hit points and is still alive. The target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw against this magic or die. If the target dies, the will-o'-wisp regains 10 (3d6) hit points. > >***Ephemeral.*** The will-o'-wisp can't wear or carry anything. > >***Incorporeal Movement.*** The will-o'-wisp can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. > >***Variable Illumination.*** The will-o'-wisp sheds bright light in a 5 to 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional number of ft. equal to the chosen radius. The will-o'-wisp can alter the radius as a bonus action. > >### Actions >***Shock.*** *Melee Spell Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 9 (2d8) lightning damage. > >***Invisibility.*** The will-o'-wisp and its light magically become invisible until it attacks or uses its Consume Life, or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell). \page
___ ___ >## Wyvern >*Large dragon, unaligned* >___ >- **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor) >- **Hit Points** 110 (13d10 + 39) >- **Speed** 20 ft., fly 80 ft. >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|19 (+4)|10 (+0)|16 (+3)|5 (-3)|12 (+1)|6 (-2)| >___ >- **Skills** Perception +4 >- **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 >- **Languages** — >- **Challenge** 6 (2,300 XP) >- **Proficiency Bonus** +3 >___ >### Actions >***Multiattack.*** The wyvern makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its stinger. While flying, it can use its claws in place of one other attack. > >***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage. > >***Claws.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage. > >***Stinger.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage. The target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.