The Ruins of Grimspire — Dungeon Level 4

Important Note: The secret door from this room to room 2 is only accessible after the trap is activated. This twenty-foot-square room looks quite empty. If anyone enters the main 20' x 20' part of the room, there is a 1-2 on 1d6 chance (per person) that the trap will activate: Suddenly the floor begins to drop swiftly downward! Only characters near the 10' x 10' entranceway have a chance of avoiding the sinking floor; a successful save vs. Death Ray with Dexterity added will allow the character to jump back into the entranceway. No damage is inflicted by the falling floor, which descends 40 feet straight downward. What is not obvious is that the floor of room 2, below, also sinks when the floor of this room falls. The secret door shown on the map can only be found and accessed after the floor has gone down. A lever in room 2 can be used to restore both floors to their proper altitude. Finally, when the trap is tripped a small bell in room 3 rings. It is not a loud bell and will not be heard in other rooms normally; it serves to notify the occupant of room 3 that there are visitors in this room. The ogre in room 3 will be quick to pay the victims a visit (2d4 rounds), usually choosing to approach from the corridor so as to come up behind anyone who managed to stay in the passageway.

Important Note: This room is part of the trap mechanism described in room 1. The secret door from this room to room 1 is only accessible after the trap is activated. If this room is being entered through the non- secret door while the floor is "up," read or paraphrase the following: This very plain twenty-foot-square room seems to be quite empty. If entered via the secret door while the floors are "down:" Through the secret door you see another twenty-foot-square chamber where it seems the floor has dropped in the same way as this room. You notice a niche in the middle of the wall to your right. Inside the niche is a lever which can be pulled, moving it about three inches or so; when this is done, the floors of both rooms 1 and 2 begin to rise very slowly, going up 10 feet per turn. When the floors have reached their original level, the trap in room 1 remains disabled for two turns before reactivating. Unlike room 1, entering this room does not cause the floor to begin sinking.

The first thing that hits you when you open the door is a rank smell, a combination of dung and unwashed bodies. Then you see a huge humanoid stand up from a pile of bedding, pick up a massive axe and start toward you with a smile on his misshapen face... This ogre, Burgnar, moved into this room after he worked out how the trap in room 1 operates. Not being very smart, he really enjoys knowing something smarter creatures don't, and he also knows just enough Common to taunt them. Even better, he has acquired a giant's shortbow, worn but still serviceable. He will use it to shoot huge arrows down into room 1, after he has removed anyone in the entrance of that room who might block him. The orcs have made peace with this ogre; he's not an ally, but neither is he an enemy. As he tends to kill all interlopers who have entered the 4th level, the orcs are only too happy to allow him to remain unchallenged. He is familiar with the ogre in the ruins above, but they are not friends. If he speaks of him at all, Burgnar calls Gorfang stupid at least twice. Burgnar's treasure is hidden under his bedding in two large, slightly rotten leather sacks. The first sack contains 1,046 sp, an anklet (worth 800 gp), and a longsword +2. The second contains 1,364 gp, a potion of clairvoyance, and a pouch of jewels including azurite (worth 15 gp), jade (worth 100 gp), and a hexagonal plate of lapis lazuli (worth 200 gp). Burgnar, Ogre: AC 15, HD 4+1, #At 1 huge axe or 1 giant shortbow, Dam 2d6 axe or 1d10 bow, Mv 30', Sv F4, ML 10, XP 240 Has 15 giant arrows for his bow.

In the far corner of this room is a chest or box of some kind. It appears to be made of stone. The room is otherwise empty. The floor around the chest is shiny; you think it's wet, but it could just be highly polished. It's wet, alright. It's a gray jelly (gray ooze), and it will attack as soon as it's approached. The chest is large and has an unlocked but quite heavy lid (100 pounds). Inside is a small pouch containing 100 gp. Gray Jelly: AC 12, HD 3*, #At 1, Dam 2d8, Mv 1', Sv F3, ML 12, XP 175

The corridor beyond the door stretches to the limit of your light. This corridor appears to be endless. If any characters question how it can be so long, or turn around to go back, roll a secret save vs. Spells for those characters; anyone who succeeds can see the room as it actually is. Assuming player characters are still present, 1d4 turns after entering this corridor, the spectre in room 6 will come out (seeming to appear out of thin air) and begin attacking. If any characters try to flee, save as given above; those who fail will not be able to reach the entrance to this area at all, no matter how much they run; meanwhile, the spectre (who is unaffected by the mind-altering nature of the room) appears to always be able to keep pace and will be able to attack each round.

There is a spectre here, who will attack anyone who enters (unless it has already attacked them in room 5 and been defeated). It has treasure lying on the floor in the back part of the room: an inexpensive (20 gp) gold ring and a potion of healing. Spectre: AC 17 (m), HD 6**, #At 1 touch, Dam Energy drain 2 levels/touch, Mv Fly 100', Sv F6, ML 11, XP 610

The only visible thing in this room is a large urn or jar in the far right corner of the room. If the jar is disturbed, crawling insects will begin coming out of it, a few at first, but quickly becoming a flood. The insects will cover the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, but they will not leave the room as long as the jar is here. If the insects are left undisturbed, in 2d8 turns they will all return to the jar. Characters in the room will be covered as well, and the insects will bite and sting them, causing discomfort but no actual damage. Any character leaving the room will be abandoned by the insects in a single round, and they will return to the room on their own. If the jar is removed, the insects will follow it, infesting any room of up to 30' x 30' in size into which the jar is placed, or up to a 30' radius area of ground or floor if put in an open area. The jar is of course enchanted. If broken, all the insects will disappear within 2d4 rounds.

In the space at the end of the corridor you see three huge spider-like creatures with long forelegs. They advance menacingly... The secret doors opening into this area are obvious on this side, with plainly-visible handles and latch mechanisms. The rhagodessas have mastered the loose-stone mechanism of the doors and can easily open them; this room is their nest. 3 Giant Rhagodessas: AC 16, HD 4, #At 2 legs, 1 bite, Dam leg grab, 2d8 bite, Mv 50', Sv F4, ML 9, XP 240 ea.

This very odd room consists of a thirty-foot- square main section with a ten-foot-wide, twenty-foot-deep alcove in the center of the far wall. The main room appears empty, but you think you see something at the far end of the alcove. At the far end of the alcove (area 9a) is a large urn containing 479 sp and 69 gp in loose coins, with a wand of polymorph (with 3 charges remaining) lying on top of the pile. However, just touching the urn has a 1-2 on 1d6 chance of triggering a portcullis trap, which falls covering the opening of the alcove. Actually moving the urn, including of course dumping it out, will automatically activate the trap. The portcullis is heavy, requiring a total of 40 Strength points to lift it; no more than three characters can work together lifting it, and those lifting it cannot exit without dropping it again. Should the falling portcullis threaten anyone under it, the threatened individual receives a save vs. Death Ray with Dexterity bonus applied; failure means the portcullis has inflicted 2d6 points of damage and has trapped the victim under its weight.

Several small benches are arranged against the open areas of wall in this room. A brazier stands in the corner furthest from the doors, but there seem to be only ashes in it. Several paintings made by less talented artists hang in the room; most seem to depict stories of the gods. There is nothing of value in this room.

This large room seems to be empty. You notice a large area of floor near the door is wet. The wetness is actually a gray jelly, which surprises on a roll of 1-3 on 1d6 in this case. Gray Jelly: AC 12, HD 3*, #At 1, Dam 2d8, Mv 1', Sv F3, ML 12, XP 175

Anyone listening (as per normal Listen roll rules) at the door of this room might well hear the cockatrice clucking, but on a roll of 1 on 1d12 the cockatrice will crow, and anyone standing outside the door will hear it. Further, anyone standing near the door has a 1-2 on 1d6 chance of detecting a "barnyard" smell, or 1-3 for an elf. If not noticed beforehand, when the door is opened this will be the first thing any character notices: You smell a foul odor, as of a barnyard. If the cockatrice is not surprised, it is standing near the door; proceed directly to combat. On the other hand, if it is surprised it will be found as follows: You see a large creature like a chicken with a serpentine neck; it's sitting on a pile of straw on the far side of the room. The floor is littered with its droppings. The orcs trapped this cockatrice as well as the one in room 18. However, unlike that one, someone is feeding this cockatrice, so it's not starving and desperate. Cockatrice: AC 14, HD 5**, #At 1 beak + special, Dam 1d6 + petrification, Mv 30' Fly 60' (10'), Sv F5, ML 7, XP 450

The door to this room is stuck, and must be forced. A sword is hanging from the ceiling just inside the door; opening the door enough to enter will cause the sword to fall about a round later, attacking at AB +1 and inflicting 1d8 points of damage. Inside the room: A painting of a woman wearing a fancy dress hangs in the alcove directly in front of you. It doesn't look like a very good painting, to be honest. The oddly-shaped room appears otherwise empty. Hanging on the back of the painting are four necklaces: a silver necklace with a pendant featuring a large opalescent moonstone carved in the shape of a wave (worth 1,500 gp), a gold necklace with multiple tiny charms set with fire-red rubies (worth 600 gp), a short, wide necklace (or perhaps a choker) made of woven silver adorned with tiny black diamonds (worth 1,100 gp), and a rather plain silver chain with a circular pendant carved from a single piece of jade in the form of a forest scene (worth 400 gp).

As you open the secret door you smell the musky, earthy smell of a stockyard. Inside the large room ahead of you are three large, mismatched, comfortable-looking chairs facing a comically small table at the center; a lit oil lantern and a silver teapot rest on the table, and seated in the chairs are three minotaurs drinking from teacups. Each has a large sword leaning up against its chair. They turn and look at you curiously. These minotaurs are not as cultured as they might look, but they all speak Common, having worked as mercenaries for the Duke before coming back here to retire. They are more than willing to parley, but will expect to be bribed not to attack (unless some player character gets an exceptionally good reaction roll). The Duke they served did not care for their proper minotaur names, and gave them the names Fergus, Nando, and Toby. They are so used to these names that they call themselves by them when dealing with humans. Besides the items described above, the minotaurs have acquired some unusual creature comforts: Looking around, you note a strange item in the inner corner of the room; at first, you can't figure out what it is, but eventually you realize they built a kind of cookstove using breastplates from at least three suits of plate mail armor. The slightly dish-shaped cooking surface on top may have been a smallish iron shield; an ordinary looking kettle sits atop it, steaming slightly. Other pans and skillets are piled on a heavy wooden table nearby, and under it you see two pails full of charcoal. Large bedrolls lie rolled up neatly along the wall. Near them you note a small table bearing another lantern, this one unlit, and a number of toiletry items including a curry comb. As you might notice looking at the map, one of the secret doors into this room is quite close to the orc tribe's main lair; the minotaurs do not use this door so as not to reveal it to the orcs, but will use it if necessary to avoid or ambush an enemy. The orcs would like the minotaurs gone; the minotaurs would like the orcs gone; but neither side wants to start that fight. If the minotaurs think they can convince the adventurers to wipe out or drive away the orcs, they will absolutely do so. 3 Minotaurs: AC 14, HD 6, #At 1 gore, 1 bite or 1 great sword, Dam 1d6 gore, 1d6 bite or 1d10+2 great sword, Mv 30', Sv F6, ML 11, XP 500 ea.

This small room is lined with supplies; a large barrel, several smaller kegs, bags and boxes with labels that indicate dry foodstuffs, and a large pile of bundled hay lies toward the back. The barrel is full of clean water; three kegs are full of ale, and the fourth is now empty. Under the bundles of hay is a tied sack full of coins: the treasure of the minotaurs. The sack contains 1,300 sp and 900 ep.

This is the bottom of the shaft that pierces the levels of this dungeon. Characters standing in this space can definitely see at least the first bridge, 30 feet up, and possibly the second one 60 feet up if they have continual light. Random encounters happen in this room on 1-2 on 1d6, checked every turn, as this is a high traffic area.

Roll 1d6 when this room is entered to choose the square in which the jelly is located, numbering squares as you see fit. A quivering mass of reddish-yellow goo lurches toward you! Ochre Jelly: AC 12 (hit only by fire or cold), HD 5*, #At 1, Dam 2d6, Mv 10', Sv F5, ML 12, XP 405

Anyone standing near the door has a 1-2 on 1d6 chance of detecting a "barnyard" smell, or 1-3 for an elf. If not noticed beforehand, when the door is opened this will be the first thing any character notices: You smell a foul odor, as of a barnyard. The cockatrice is quite hungry, and has been scratching at the door; if surprised, it has laid down near the door, but if not surprised it stands ready for action. You see a large creature like a chicken with a serpentine neck just inside the door. The cockatrice in this room is trapped, having been lured in here by the orcs, who then closed the door. Of course, it can't operate a door, so it's trapped and thus starving. They did not mark the door, hoping interlopers would open it and be petrified. The starving cockatrice will fight without checking morale until it gets out of the room (as indicated in the monster's morale score). Cockatrice: AC 14, HD 5**, #At 1 beak + special, Dam 1d6 + petrification, Mv 30' Fly 60' (10'), Sv F5, ML 12 (7), XP 450

In this small room there is a sturdy-looking basket resting against the side wall. There's something in it, covered by a stained rag. What is in the basket is treasure: 30 ep, 50 gp, and the following gems: 2 pieces of amber worth 100 gp each, one amethyst worth 75 gp, and 3 pieces of jet worth 75 gp each.

Across this thirty-foot-deep room you see a pair of huge spider-like creatures with long forelegs. They seem alert and on guard but don't move to attack immediately. The room is occupied by two giant rhagodessas. Even if not surprised they will wait one round before moving forward to attack, allowing the possibility that characters moving into the room might fall victim to the pit trap. The pit just inside the door of this room triggers on a 1-2 on 1d6, checked for each character who steps on it. The pit is 30 feet deep, thus inflicting 3d6 points of damage to anyone who falls in. Those in the affected square when the pit opens may save vs. Death Ray with Dexterity bonus applied to leap to the nearest safe space and avoid falling. The pit trap is self-resetting, with the cover closing after 1 turn. The giant rhagodessas are large creatures who walk on multiple legs and can climb walls, so the pit does not present a problem for them. 2 Giant Rhagodessas: AC 16, HD 4, #At 2 legs, 1 bite, Dam leg grab, 2d8 bite, Mv 50', Sv F4, ML 9, XP 240 ea.

The doors to this room do not latch properly, having been broken by the occupants. 3 Owlbears: AC 15, HD 5, #At 2 claws, 1 bite + 1 hug, Dam 1d8 claw, 1d8 bite, 2d8 hug, Mv 40', Sv F5, ML 9, XP 360 ea.

As you open the secret door you hear a low moan. A shuffling figure comes around a corner ahead, stretching out its arms toward you. He's dressed as an adventurer, with chainmail, a sheathed longsword, and a quiver full of shortbow arrows on his back. His face, though, is pale and badly damaged, with one eye missing and the other covered in a milky film. This zombie was once an adventurer. The troll priest Kaghnarch in area 22, below, has not found this one yet. His quiver contains 15 normal shortbow arrows and a single shortbow arrow +3. His backpack is around the corner from where he came, and contains a tinderbox, a rotten bundle of rations, an empty waterskin, and 630 cp and 216 gp in loose coins. Zombie Adventurer: AC 15 (½ damage from blunt weapons, 1 point only from missile weapons), HD 2, #At 1 bludgeon, Dam 1d8, Mv 20', Sv F2, ML 12, XP 75

That this thirty by forty foot room is a chapel of some kind is obvious from the large, dirty tapestry hanging behind an altar at the far end. Standing before that altar, facing away from you, is a broad-shouldered man in a hooded robe, his head bent forward in evident prayer. Then he turns, rising up, and you realize he was actually kneeling. At his full height, the dark-robed figure is half again taller than a human man. "Who dares to interrupt my worship?" he growls in a deep, grating voice. Without waiting for an answer he steps forward, stretching out huge clawed hands toward you. This troll, Kaghnarch, actually does have the powers of a 1st level Cleric; mainly, this means that he can Turn the undead at that level, and use Clerical items if he ever gets any. He tired of his meaningless existence, fighting and healing and eating and sleeping over and over without ever knowing death. He believes his worship of Zugar, a forgotten god of death depicted as a huge worm, could eventually lead to a comfortable death that doesn't involve fire. He further believes that Zugar has spoken to him in his dreams, commanding him to seek out and destroy the undead, and he has done so (which is why there are practically none in this dungeon). None of this means that Kaghnarch likes adventurers. He in fact hates them. He will be even more angry when facing them because he is currently fasting and isn't supposed to eat anyone for several days yet. Kaghnarch has no treasure, having taken a vow of poverty. The tapestry does in fact depict the great worm Zugar, but it will be hard to make out because it's so dirty. Kaghnarch found it lying on the floor like a rug and restored it to its proper place. In the hidden alcove behind the tapestry is a pile of quite foul bedding made of the clothing of people Kaghnarch has eaten, but again, there is no treasure here. Kaghnarch, Troll: AC 16, HD 6*, #At 2 claws, 1 bite, Dam 1d6 claw, 1d10 bite, Mv 40', Sv F6, ML 10, XP 555 Has the powers of a 1st level Cleric. No special ability bonus is given for this, as it probably doesn't help him in combat with adventurers.

No descriptive text is given for this room nor the rest of the orc lair, as it is nearly impossible to predict how adventurers will approach the lair nor how they will interact with the orcs. Note that the orc leaders in 25 and orc chief in 27 will join any battle here in 1d4 rounds. 20 Orcs: AC 14, HD 1, #At 1 spear, Dam 1d8, Mv 30', Sv F1, ML 8 (9 with leaders or chief present), XP 25 ea. HP

The orcs in this room are leader types, tougher than the regular orcs. They will join the fighting in room 24 above within 1d4 rounds. 11 Orc Leaders: AC 14, HD 2, #At 1 longsword, Dam 1d8, Mv 30', Sv F2, ML 9, XP 75 ea. HP

Ten female orcs are here, tending to ten young ones. All the young orcs have ½ hit die with 1 hit point and 30' of movement, and are noncombatants. The females will try to bargain with the party for their lives if the males appear to be defeated, agreeing to almost any concession that allows them to leave with their young alive. If the young are threatened, however, the females will fight to the death to protect them. Also note that the three females in room 27 will come here if a fight breaks out in room 24, arriving in 2d4 rounds unless their path is blocked. 10 Orc Females: AC 11, HD 1, #At 1 long knife, Dam 1d6, Mv 40', Sv F1, ML special, see above, XP 25 ea. HP

The chief of the orcs lives here, and generally is joined by some of the females. They will not follow him into battle in room 24 (where he will appear after 1d4 rounds of fighting) but will try to move behind the orcish lines to room 26 where they can assist the females there. They are favored by the chief, and thus have better equipment and weapons. The chieftain wears chainmail +1. All other orcish treasure is stored in sacks in room 28. Orc Chieftain: AC 16, HD 4, #At 1 longsword, Dam 1d8+2, Mv 30', Sv F4, ML 9, XP 240 3 Orc Females: AC 14, HD 1, #At 1 spear, Dam 1d8, Mv 30', Sv F1, ML 9 (or see room 26), XP 25 ea. HP

In the inside corner of this room are the following items: a sack containing 500 sp, three sacks totaling 6,200 gp, and a pouch containing a sling +1 and a potion of diminution.