Whiteplume Ziggurat#
Silver sheen trap#
Pre-treasure in Sir Bluto's post.
Safe space to rest.
Healing potions. Book with: identify + Blight + Fire Shield + Clairvoyance (one use scrolls).
White Plume Teleport. Teleport but scoped to this dungeon. 5th level.
Have this be treasure from Snarla?
NB: Maybe indicate that this must be one of the biggest room in the dungeon. And you've come across it fast. Suspiciously fast.
Main room#
Show aquarium picture after having a clear picture of one of the crayfish moving above the surface (not aggressively).
6x CR2 giant crayfish (appendix)
6x CR3 giant scorpions (harsh – can be drowned)
4x CR5 sea lions (really harsh – appendix)
They can ALL WIPE here even with that strat.
Crayfish will attempt to wriggle out. Scorpions drown. Manticores maybe, but sea lions will make it out.
4 CR5s is rough even if you give them two turns to reach you.
Lowering someone is even worse. They'd have to take out the manticores as they'll assume you're food.
Maybe downscale the sea lions a bit (one attack maybe) if they're really dumb / exhausted.
Portal puzzle#
Door leads to watery tunnels if they've filled it. Otherwise two spheres of water floating in front of them.
Qesnef runs into one. Whole bubble encapsulate him and start moving with him inside it.
Max 2 per pod. They can't collide. They can still sync up for easy entrance. Don't need to do the split party blind because they can hear. (Indicate engine noise).
Fight the sharknado#
Inner sanctum
https://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/monsters-foes/monsters-by-type/oozes/ooze-giant-shark-bowl/
Could be a fun thing if they get by very easily.
Make the room small, spherical, with this sitting on a plinth in the middle. Futuristic.
Spherical ball of what looks like highly viscous fluid. Takes up almost the entire room.
Treasure not really inside, but below.
Blackrazor Defaced?#
Originally +3 greatsword (for non-lawful creatures)
Devour soul: temp hp on kill + adv on attack saving throws and ability checks.
Undead: take 1d10 necrotic dmg to self, and heal undead. (can perma self kill)
Soul hunter: aware of all creatures within 60ft (non undead+constructs). Can't be charmed or frightened.
Haste: can cast Haste once per day. But IT decides when to do so – unlocks. Once he fills bar once.
Sentience: CN INT17/W10/CHA19 blade. Hearing+darkvision 120ft.
Personality: imperious tone. Accustomed to being obeyed. Nihilistic.
LINES! What if it's disobeyed?
You have not yet earned the right to treat me like your equal.
So I say again.
"Are you worthy of wielding me?" "Leave me until on worthy lifts this blade."
"I am useless here; I must be seek the thrill of battle. And I am hungry."
"Do you enjoy drinking the life of your foes, watching them drain before you, and have that very power become your own?"
"Do you wish the shadows to encase your form, and grant you speed and resilience in combat?"
"Do you wish to become unstoppable in the eyes of living creatures and help return the energy of my enemies to its rightful source?."
"No... keep the tears flowing."
"Only you are worthy of holding me. You will hand me to no-one." Cha-check.
Hungers for more energy. Will level up in Velddrinsshar.
Tweaks: +1. Fully sentient. Longsword only.
Only gain temp HP equal to overkill HP up to half max wielder HP. (Less than its HP maximum).
If you reach half your HP value in temp HP the blade shifts form into a larger jagged blade that drips with black and red energy. At which point the blade deals an additional d6 necrotic damage.
After long rest, this effect is gone, and the blade's turbulent energy use starts to take its toll. You have disadvantage on saving throws and ability checks until you have absorbed temporary hit points with this blade again.
Will occasionally Haste wielder when it feels like.
Do it early.
Can still grog fail if they kill self against construct or undead.
Short
+1 sentient longsword
Grants temporary hit points on kills equal to overkill damage up to half hp maximum.
Transforms at max temp hp. Deals extra d8 necrotic for 24h.
Awakened: +2 + adds soul hunter + advantage
Exalted: +3 adds awareness
Personality: (as per original)#
Blackrazor speaks with an imperious tone, as though accustomed to being obeyed.
The sword’s purpose is to consume souls. It doesn’t care whose souls it eats, including the wielder’s. The sword believes that all matter and energy sprang from a void of negative energy and will one day return to it. Blackrazor is meant to hurry that process along.
Despite its nihilism, Blackrazor feels a strange kinship to Wave and Whelm, two other weapons locked away under White Plume Mountain. It wants the three weapons to be united again and wielded together in combat, even though it violently disagrees with Whelm and finds Wave tedious.
Blackrazor’s hunger for souls must be regularly fed. If the sword goes three days or more without consuming a soul, a conflict between it and its wielder occurs at the next sunset.
Hidden 1: Devour Soul
Whenever you use it to reduce a creature to 0 hit points, the sword slays the creature and devours its soul, unless it is a construct or an undead. A creature whose soul has been devoured by Blackrazor can be restored to life only by a [spell]wish[/spell] spell.
When it devours a soul, Blackrazor grants you 2d8 temporary hit points from the final blow. These hit points fade after 24 hours.
Hidden 2: Powerful transformation
Once If you reach N souls the blade shifts form into a larger jagged blade that drips with black and red energy. At which point the blade deals an additional 2d6 necrotic damage, and brings the wielder to a STR of 20 and DEX of 20.
After long rest, this effect is gone, and the blade's turbulent energy use starts to take its toll. You have disadvantage on saving throws and ability checks until you have absorbed temporary hit points with this blade again. TODO: maybe allow self-healing? TODO: con save to avoid disadvantage?
Can they remove the blade to remove it? Probably not... Disadvantage anyway..
TODO: devour takes her to undead area / shadowfell
TODO: intimidation bonus from dark shroud.