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martinl · 12-14-2019, 02:20 PM

The Misty Cells
Level: 1

Faint ambient glow: -3 vision, but restricted to individual cells by the mist
Lower Purpose +1

Four corridors come in from the cardinal directions to this area. It is one giant square room, 40 yards on a side, divided up into a grid of 9x9 cells separated by open gothic archways on all sides. The ornately carved cell walls are two foot thick masonry, and each of the arches is filled by an opaque grey mist that also covers the floor to a depth of 2 feet. There is a faint smell of decay and rot.

The carvings on the walls are a nigh infinite collage of screaming faces, and the ones in the arches, if carefully examined, ooze the mist slowly from their empty eyes.

Some faces on the outside walls of the room conceal crossbow traps in their mouths that are triggered magically when certain interior rooms are entered. To the folks entering those rooms, there is a muffed “chunk” followed by a crossbow bolt flying through the mist in the opposite arch towards them. (A PC in the path of the bolt is hit on a 9(+SM) or less on 3d, damage is 2d-1 imp.) There are 10 such rooms in all, and if they are carefully mapped they make the pattern of a star.

Occasionally distant hoofbeats can be heard (hearing at -2), especially after a trap is sprung, but the source cannot be found.

Divination magic is at a penalty of -13 if cast in this area.

Any room may have something interesting hiding under the mist in a corner. If the PCs search roll 3d.

On a 3 they find $(1d*1d*10) in loose coins.
On a 4 or 5 they find the moldering corpse of a deceased adventurer, with equipment subjected to 1d*1d years’ worth of continuous lightly corrosive damp.
On 6 or 7 they find a small stone statuette (1 lb) of a screaming head carved in the same style as the walls. These are worth $25 to art collectors in town.
On an 8-10 they find a warped and blunted crossbow bolt from one of the traps.
On an 18 they find a freshly severed hand that looks exactly like the hand of one of their party.

Keep track of how long the PCs spend messing around in here, because the mist is a slow onset poison. 6 hours after exposure, roll HT at a penalty based on total exposure time in this room:

Less than 10 min – no penalty.
Less than 1 hour – HT-1.
One hour or more – HT-(2*hours spent). Increase the penalty to 3* hours spent if most of that time was spent in the arches or under the mist layer on the floor.

On a failed roll take 1 HP per hour for a number of hours equal to the square of the margin of failure as your lungs try to liquefy in your chest. During this entire time the victims are nauseous and vomiting blood and more of the poisonous mist. (This mist can further damage those nearby if the area is poorly ventilated.)

A poisons roll at -4 will id the mist as a slow poison after 10 min of exposure. Esoteric medicine at -6 (-2 if chi based) may roll after 1 hour. After symptoms appear, poisons or esoteric medicine at -2 will identify the problem as poison, and success by 4 or more will make it clear where the poison is from.

Connections -
South to (TBD)

North to (TBD)

East to Terror bird junction

West to (TBD)

12-14-2019, 02:20 PM	#39
martinl Join Date: Jan 2006	Re: Collaborative DFRPG Mega-Dungeon The Misty Cells Level: 1 Faint ambient glow: -3 vision, but restricted to individual cells by the mist Lower Purpose +1 Four corridors come in from the cardinal directions to this area. It is one giant square room, 40 yards on a side, divided up into a grid of 9x9 cells separated by open gothic archways on all sides. The ornately carved cell walls are two foot thick masonry, and each of the arches is filled by an opaque grey mist that also covers the floor to a depth of 2 feet. There is a faint smell of decay and rot. The carvings on the walls are a nigh infinite collage of screaming faces, and the ones in the arches, if carefully examined, ooze the mist slowly from their empty eyes. Some faces on the outside walls of the room conceal crossbow traps in their mouths that are triggered magically when certain interior rooms are entered. To the folks entering those rooms, there is a muffed “chunk” followed by a crossbow bolt flying through the mist in the opposite arch towards them. (A PC in the path of the bolt is hit on a 9(+SM) or less on 3d, damage is 2d-1 imp.) There are 10 such rooms in all, and if they are carefully mapped they make the pattern of a star. Occasionally distant hoofbeats can be heard (hearing at -2), especially after a trap is sprung, but the source cannot be found. Divination magic is at a penalty of -13 if cast in this area. Any room may have something interesting hiding under the mist in a corner. If the PCs search roll 3d. On a 3 they find $(1d1d10) in loose coins. On a 4 or 5 they find the moldering corpse of a deceased adventurer, with equipment subjected to 1d1d years’ worth of continuous lightly corrosive damp. On 6 or 7 they find a small stone statuette (1 lb) of a screaming head carved in the same style as the walls. These are worth $25 to art collectors in town. On an 8-10 they find a warped and blunted crossbow bolt from one of the traps. On an 18 they find a freshly severed hand that looks exactly like the hand of one of their party. Keep track of how long the PCs spend messing around in here, because the mist is a slow onset poison. 6 hours after exposure, roll HT at a penalty based on total exposure time in this room: Less than 10 min – no penalty. Less than 1 hour – HT-1. One hour or more – HT-(2hours spent). Increase the penalty to 3* hours spent if most of that time was spent in the arches or under the mist layer on the floor. On a failed roll take 1 HP per hour for a number of hours equal to the square of the margin of failure as your lungs try to liquefy in your chest. During this entire time the victims are nauseous and vomiting blood and more of the poisonous mist. (This mist can further damage those nearby if the area is poorly ventilated.) A poisons roll at -4 will id the mist as a slow poison after 10 min of exposure. Esoteric medicine at -6 (-2 if chi based) may roll after 1 hour. After symptoms appear, poisons or esoteric medicine at -2 will identify the problem as poison, and success by 4 or more will make it clear where the poison is from. Connections - South to (TBD) North to (TBD) East to Terror bird junction West to (TBD)