Dungeon23: Week 7

Level 2 – Area C

This map is created under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Area Notes:

b. This hallway is lined with piles of stones, skulls, and banners marking the hobb-men’s territory.  The hobb-men have dug a pit trap here and replaced the floor tiles (which appear more worn or damaged than the others) over a thin wooden frame designed to collapse under weight.   The pit is 20 feet deep.

c. Mountain lions (from Room 20) wander the hallways between Rooms 17-21 and Room 22 in Area D.  All random encounters in this area will be with these creatures unless all four (4) are killed or driven off.  Random encounters then occur as normal.

Room 15

This chamber is dominated by a statue of a snake-headed man in priestly vestments, carved out of crystal.  Touching the statue and speaking or making any vocal sounds (such as chanting or praying) causes the statue to resonate and hum palpably.  Anyone in a 20-foot radius aligned with Chaos is granted a blessing (as the spell.)  Those aligned with Law are cursed (reversed blessing spell.)  There is no effect on Neutral characters.  The effect lasts for one day (24 hours.)

The chamber behind has snake reliefs every 10 feet along the walls.  Three of them are secret doors that open with the pull of a handle inside the snakes’ mouths.

Room 16

A locked, iron chest sits on a 15-foot radius, circular dais on the floor.  The chest is full of coins (800 silver, 300 gold.)  The ceiling above has multiple holes (if characters bother to look.)

If the chest or any of the treasure is taken, the secret door to this room locks audibly.  The circular dais then begins to rotate and rise towards the ceiling as multiple spikes emerge from  the holes.  The process takes 10 seconds to complete, impaling anyone on the platform for 2d6+2 damage.  A saving throw against paralysis allows a character to suffer only half damage.  (Note: the GM is encouraged to count down the seconds out loud in real time, pausing only when a player has an idea they’d like to try.)

If the treasure (or an item that equals or exceeds it in weight) is returned to the center, the platform stops and returns to its starting position at the same rate.  The secret door then unlocks.
 

Room 17: Hobb-man Proving Ground

This was previously an area for scribing and studying the unholy works of the Cult.  The furniture has been removed and the floor covered with sand, straw and scattered, bloody rags.  There are (unlit) oil lamps at 10-foot intervals along the walls.  It was, until recently, a training area for the hobb-men before the mountain lions (Room 20) made lingering in the area too dangerous.

Two oil lamps can be pulled to open secret doors.  The end of the southeast hallway has a one-way door that leads to the back chamber of Room 15.  The eastern hallway leads to the cistern cavern (Room 25) in Area D.

Room 18: Gallery of Oddities

This chamber has multiple displays showing a number of oddities the High Priest of the Cult had collected during his wandering years.  Only a few items remain:

• A basket of speckled, petrified eggs.

• A small box made of a strange, black metal with gold filigree.  It has a seam that denotes a clear lid, but it doesn’t seem to open by normal means.  

• A glass globe with water inside.  One can occasionally see tiny, myriad sea creatures swimming inside and seemingly disappear at the edges of the globe. 

• A scale model of an oceangoing vessel with features like a hammerhead shark.  The ship’s name, “Farfinder,” is etched on its side.

One display has a half-eaten, rotted humanoid corpse near it, its hand clutching a gem that looks like a cat’s eye.  The gem, if held, attracts nearby felines, causing 1d4 of the mountain lions in Room 20 to come investigate.  Anyone keeping the gem must thereafter roll for wandering monsters every hour.  The result is one or more felines showing up.  This can be innocuous (but annoying) housecats in town or dangerous predators in the wilderness.  The Lord of All Cats would likely grant a boon to anyone returning this gem to him.

Room 19: Bath

A bathing pool with greenish water dominates this room.  The bronze fountain spigot on the western wall that fed and refreshed the pool is no longer running.  A shield made of a dark reddish hide hangs above it as the only decoration.  The northern door is locked.

Anyone in the room for longer than 10 minutes (1 turn) witnesses a ghostly apparition of a woman appearing from the northern door, looking around, then backing slowly towards the pool with an expression of fear.  She then clutches her neck and plunges backwards into the pool.

At the bottom of the pool is the skeleton of the woman, along with a rusted key to the northern door.  

The shield on the wall strangely warm to the touch.  Upon closer inspection, it is clear the reddish hide is composed of (dragon) scales.  The inside of the shield is engraved with strange writing (requiring magic to read,) which is the formula for a fireball spell.  The shield itself is worth 110 gold coins, but provides no additional protection, magical or otherwise.

Room 20

A small pride of four (4) mountain lions (HP 14, 14, 18, 18) lairs here – the descendants of creatures that were kept as pets for the Cult’s inner circle.  1d4 are present at any time, while the others wander and hunt in the hallways and chambers (see note “b”.) 

There are 58 silver coins and a dagger scattered among the bones, bits of fur, and clothes of their past meals.

Room 21: Death Sauna

The doors to this oval room are made of metal and marred with rust and verdigris, and have double glass windows that allow one to see into the oval room.  Inside is a humanoid form resting on a stone bench against the wall, covered in a xanthous mass.  A few glittering silver coins can be seen on the floor.

The mass is a human skeleton covered in yellow mold, which has a deadly effect if disturbed.

If one or more characters are in the room for longer than a minute, any open doors close automatically and lock tight with a metallic groan.  Pipes inside of the room begin to creak, rattle, and sputter a weak modicum of steam.  This lasts for one minute (6 rounds) then the pipes stop and the doors unlock.  

 

There is an emergency shut-off knob behind a fogged, glass cover on the opposite wall of the skeleton and mold.

The rest of the treasure (800 silver coins) is under the mold and skeleton, its container having been dissolved long ago.  The coins look new as they have been scrubbed clean by the mold's acidic effect.

Dungeon23: Week 6

Level 2 – Area B

This map is created under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Area Notes:

a. The hobb-men patrol this hallway frequently; chance of encountering 1d6 hobb-men is 2 in 6 every 10 minutes (one turn.)

Room 8: The Illusionist’s Hoard

This room is largely empty, with a set of pillars running through the center from north to south.  The northern pair of pillars is cut in half by the wall.

The north wall between the pillars is an illusion.  Anyone passing through finds themselves in a 20x20 ft. vault with a pile of coins at the center.  The treasure is surrounded in large tangled strands – the home of a giant, black widow spider (HP 16,) which descends on anyone disturbing them.

The treasure is made up 44 gold coins, each with a permanent mirror spell that makes a single coin appear as 1d4+1 coins.  While curious, these coins are unlikely to fool any merchant that handles them, since they have no additional weight.

Room 9: Hobb-man Barracks

This chamber has been turned into a barracks and war camp for the hobb-men, who are constantly on alert for raids from the oor-men above.  1d6+1 hobb-men are present at all times.  If outnumbered, one will attempt to flee and call for reinforcements from Room 14.

There is a central table with a rough map of Level 1 drawn on a skin.  It indicates the areas controlled by gobb-men (Area C) and oor-men (Area B.)  The areas beyond (Area D) are blank with notes in dwarf runes indicating that the patrols tasked with reconnoitering those areas haven’t returned.  Secret doors and rooms are only noted in Area C.

The southwest  corner has a pile of arms and armor (two suits of plate,  five suits of chain mail, seven shields, seven swords, and five spears,) miscellaneous travel supplies, and a locked chest with 5,000 silver coins.  These belong to the noble and his retinue imprisoned in Room 12.  One of the hobb-men has the keys to this room and the cell inside.

A secret door in the southeast corner leads to a chamber similar to Room 18 in Level 1 above (albeit without the magical effect) and a set of stairs that go to and from the same room.

 

Room 10: Hall of Stinging Serpents

Stairs descend into a long, wide hallway that stretches into the depths of the deeper Temple. The walls are adorned with carved, lifelike serpent statues stretching up towards the ceiling.  The statues coil and stare with glassy eyes towards those walking through.  

Pressure-sensitive plates on the floor in the center of the hall trigger a barrage of darts from hidden openings in the wall, aimed in different angles and directions to cover the entire 20 by 20-foot area.  Victims that that fail to save against paralysis are hit by 1d4+1 darts (1d4 dmg each.)  Victims that succeed are only hit by half the number of darts (round down.)

Room 11: Prison

The door to this room is locked (see Room 9.)  The northern half of the room is a wrought iron cell with seven (7) humans.  The current occupants are Lord Godric (a 3rd-level noble,) his housecarl Osbeorn (2nd-level veteran,) and five (5) men-at-arms (1st-level fighters) which formed part of his retinue.
 

Godric is grateful for any aid, and is willing to have his men assist the characters against the hobb-men.  He has an agenda, however.  Godric is a descendant of members of the Cult and aligned with Chaos.  While he claims to have been waylaid on the road, he actually came to the Temple to reestablish the Cult.  He was unable to convince the Hobb-men of his legitimacy and was imprisoned.

Godric will be friendly with the characters as he feels out whether they can be potential allies or pawns.  He expresses a curious interest in Temple artifacts, going as far as offering to buy any the characters have already found.  Eventually, he will decide whether to induct them into the Cult or capture them for future sacrifice to the Snake God.

(Note: this is also a good place for replacement characters to appear.)

Room 12: Room of Revelations

The door to this room is made of iron, and locked (the hobb-man Praetor in Room 14 has the key.)  There is an unlit oil lamp hanging from the ceiling.  In the center of the room is a lectern with a parchment spread out.  The parchment appears to be a map, with ancient runes and symbols in the dragon language.  (Note: this may be a clue to a location in the wilderness map, to be determined at a future time.)

Along one wall is a large, ornate mirror framed in gold and silver. The glass is foggy, making it difficult to see one's reflection.  Anyone staring at the mirror for over a minute (1 turn) sees visions that are not easily explained, like a dream that one quickly forgets when they wake up.  Anyone that has stared into the mirror and seen the visions may later have a moment of déjà vu and recall a clue or some other helpful revelation (1 in 6 chance per newly-explored dungeon room; occurs only once.)  Further glances into the mirror will have no effect – a fact that has frustrated the hobb-man Praetor in Room 14.

Another wall has a tapestry draped over a wooden frame.  The work is clearly of high craftsmanship, and the colors are still vibrant.  The tapestry, if transported carefully due to its fragility, may be worth 80 gp to a collector.  It includes writing in the language of dragons, and depicts a story about an order of Templars of Law that journeyed to a far away tower searching for a piece of the City of Humankind.  There, they came into conflict with masked nomads, but eventually joined forces with them to drive off a fearsome red dragon (this is a clue to hexes 3631 and 3939 on the wilderness map.)

Room 13

This winding hallway leading to Room 14 has been rigged by the hobb-men to trap would-be invaders.  A tripwire activates a series of pulleys and gears that cause a large net to fall in a 10-foot by 10-foot area (save against breath to avoid.)  Disentangling from the net requires a successful Strength check to open doors.  However, the edges of the net are lined with sharp hooks that cause 1 point of damage every round characters struggle to escape.  Cutting ones way out of the net with a knife or dagger takes 1d4 rounds.

A small crank lever at the entrance of the hallway can also operate the trap, tightening or loosening the net depending on the direction it is rotated.

Hobb-man patrols (see Note “a” above) check this area for trapped intruders regularly.  Trapped characters are stripped of their weapons, metal armor, and gear (which are placed in Room 9) and taken to the prison in Room 11.  Hobb-men will periodically take a prisoner for sacrifice, part of the days’ meal, or turned over to Thomgrir (Room 7.)

Room 14: Praetor’s Hall

This is a large hall with a vaulted ceiling.  The hall is dimly lit by a central fire with a humanoid torso cooking on a spit.  The fire is surrounded by moldy furs and broken furniture where 1d6+1 hobb-men lounge about.  The air is thick with the acrid smell of smoke and hobb-man musk.

The hobb-man Praetor (HD 5; HP 22) sits on a raised platform in a carved stone chair.  Despite his bandy-legged, deformed body, he makes for a fearsome figure, armored in blackened, Cult scale armor with a snake-crested, maned helm.  A serrated battle axe sits within easy reach.  A torn banner with the symbol of the Cult hangs from a wooden standard behind him along with hanging skulls of oor-men.  Two (2) bodyguards (HD 4; HP 11, 14,) stand at attention on either side, dressed in mismatched, leather and metal Cult armor with shields and swords.  Another (HP 5,) guards the entrance to a back room, separated by a wooden wall.

The Praetor is suspicious and paranoid (-1 to reactions) as he may be losing the war against the oor-men.   He has only 13 hobb-men left among his forces, and the gobb-men and baern-men are unreliable allies at best.  He may be willing to hire characters as mercenaries against the oor-men, but may later decide the characters are spies and imprison or kill them (re-roll reaction every meeting.)

The back room is the Praetor’s chambers, dominated by a massive bed and other mundane luxuries and decorations such as pillows, furs, and tapestries on the walls.  A chest in a corner contains his treasure: 3,136 gold coins and various precious objects such as gold and silver drinking vessels, plates, and jewelry worth 784 gold in total (weight is 1.5 times as much.)

A tapestry in the southeast wall conceals a secret door.  The door is locked with a mechanism that requires a Cult holy symbol to be placed in a slot and turned to open.  However, three (3) dials with symbols (Eye, Moon, Snakes, Sun) must be placed in the correct order (Eye, Moon, Snakes) before the Cult holy symbol can be turned.  (Note: Room 15 in Level 1 has been updated with a clue to this puzzle.)

Beyond the door is a stairway that goes upward to a landing with a well-like opening (“C”.)  The opening is small even for a halfling to fit comfortably.  It is a chute designed for a large, snake-like being, and spirals all the way down to Level 4.

Dungeon23: Week 5

Level 2 - Area A

 

This map is created under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

 

Level 2 Notes:

• Squares on the map are 10 feet.
• Unless otherwise noted, all doors are made of hard wood and stuck.
• Hallways and chambers are generally 10-15 feet tall unless otherwise noted.
  
• Small rooms and chambers have torch sconces at the entrances.  Larger ones have oil lamps at about 30-foot intervals.  All are unlit unless otherwise noted in the description.  Cavern areas do not have light sources unless noted in the description.
  
• Monster and creature names are in bold.  General statistics usable with OSR fantasy games are provided where necessary.  Otherwise, use equivalents from your favorite game (works best with Original or BX power levels.)
  

 

Room 1

This large, circular room is a vertical tunnel leading down to Level 3 (Note: possibly beyond; TBD.)  The room has four exits, but only two opposite are currently connected by a metal bridge with circular platform in the center.  The platform has a wheel that is difficult to turn (open doors Strength roll needed.).  When turned, it swivels the bridge to connect the northeast and southwest exits.

Room 2: Embalming Room

The center of this room is sectioned off into four (4) wooden cubicles, each with a table and a number of scattered instruments (rusted embalming tools, containers, and linen wrappings.)  Mirrored oil lamps (currently unlit) hang from chains in the ceiling.
 

The room has a magical alarm covering a 20 ft. radius from the center.  This area is marked with arcane symbols on the floor.  Crossing the area activates an audible gong sound, which warns the Champion in Room 7.  The sound (or any other loud noise in the room) also rouses the berserkers in Room 3.  The Champion arrives in 1d6 rounds to observe any battle from the shadows of the hallway, intervening only if it is advantageous for him to do so in order to subdue any survivors (total party levels equal or lower to his HD.)

 

The floor of the northwest hallway collapses into a chute ("CH") to Level 3 when weight is placed on it.  It was used to quickly transport bodies to the abattoir below (Room TBD.)  The chute closes in one (1) round.

Room 3: Berserker Storage

This chamber was where the Cult previously stored embalmed bodies.  Six (6) slabs in the room that have been fitted with iron manacles by the Champion in Room 7 for use in his berserker experiments.  

 

There are currently three (3) of these berserkers here – hapless adventurers who have been force-fed the glowing Uppaz snake and turned into maddened killing machines.  The iron-masked berserkers are dressed in studded leathers (AC 7 [12],) and armed with spiked punching blades strapped to their forearms (1d6 dmg.)  They sit motionless on the slabs unless roused by the presence of other living beings.  They fight until all other creatures are destroyed (in a pulpy, bloody mess.)

A shelf has a set of embalming fluids, powders, and other chemicals that are worth 125 gp to an alchemist.  One corner of the room has a pile of the adventurer’s former belongings (random, mundane equipment) along with some found treasure (various coins and trinkets worth 80 gp, weighing twice as much.)

Room 4: Steam Room

This triangular room has bronze and lead pipes running along the walls, some which are leaking steam into the room.  The northwest corner has a shattered shield next to a small sack.  Inside the sack are spoiled trail rations and a dark, fist-sized rock with bits of metal stuck to it (a lodestone.)

 

There is a lever in the room which also operates the swiveling bridge in Room 1.  (Note: this room is potentially a defensible place where the player characters can rest and recuperate.)

Room 5: Mice Aroma

Player characters listening at the doors to this room can hear scuttling, scratching, and/or faint squeaking.  The floor of this room is almost completely covered in mice, which have been attracted to stacks of crates and baskets full of produce.  One of the baskets has balls of yarn and spools of flaxen thread instead of vegetables.

Room 6: Trog Ambush

This chamber has rows of defaced and unrecognizable statues standing in vigil along the walls.  Seven (7) troglodytes are hiding among the statues, hoping to ambush and kill hobb-men and take their steel.  They are encroachers seeking to create a lair on this level of the Temple.

 

Three (3) of the creatures (hp 8, 2, 8) are weaponless and fight with their claws and teeth.  Two (9 hp each) are armed with stone maces and spears.  Their leader (15 hp) and his lieutenant (10 hp) fight with a steel sword and crude, stone battle axe respectively.

The troglodytes may be amenable to allying in raids against the hobb-men, but fighting alongside them is a foolish proposition at best due to their horrible stench and untrustworthy nature.

Room 7: Champion’s Sepulcher

The entrance hall to this chamber is trapped with a 10-foot pit lined with spikes (1d4+2 additional damage, save against breath for half.)

 

The chamber itself is lit with flickering torches, which show serpentine motifs adorning the walls.  In the center is an upright, stone sarcophagus, surrounded by offerings of blood-soaked riches and flesh, meant to appease the vengeful spirit of Thomgrir, one of the Champions of the Snake Cult.

The Champion was laid to rest here by the pathetic remnants of the defeated Snake Cult.  The energies of the Temple have caused him to rise as an undead being (a special type of wight.)  His embalmed remains are dressed in torn, rusted scale armor which still show the fatal spear wound that ended him.  His near-skeletal hands hold a war hammer etched with writhing serpents.

Thomgrir may have already been roused by characters tripping the magical alarm in Room 2.  Otherwise, he rests in the sarcophagus until either the pit trap is activated or someone begins searching his resting chamber.

Thomgrir seeks to subdue any interlopers, to use them in his berserker experiments (see Room 3.) He fights with his magic war hammer, but switches to his level drain attack against capable (higher level) combatants to weaken them.  If reduced to less than half of his hit points however, he goes into a berserk state, granting him a +2 bonus to damage rolls.  He then fights until all enemies are destroyed.

 

Thomgrir, Champion of the Cult: AC 5 [14]; ATK 1; DMG 1d6+2 (magic war hammer) or special (level drain); HD 3; HP 17; MV 12; SAVE 14 (or as warrior); SPECIAL: berserking (+2 dmg,) immune to non-magical/non-silver weapons, level drain; AL C; XP 800 (or HD + specials.)  

 

Among the grotesque offerings are piles of coins (2700 copper, 439 gold, 46 platinum, 2780 silver,) a leather necklace with a river pearl worth 8 gold, and an elf-crafted lute worth 80 gold.  Thomgir’s war hammer is a magical weapon with a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Dungeon23: Temple of the Snake Cult - Level 1

 

This map is created under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Area Links

• Area A (Rooms 1-7)
• Area B (Rooms 8-14)
• Area C (Rooms 15-21)
• Area D (Rooms 22-28)
   

 The First Room

I agonized a little about what to place in the first room of the dungeon, as it is the player's first impression of the place.  After researching some of the classics, I think B1 In Search of the Unknown has one of the best first rooms.  Here's why:

• The entrance hallway leads to a central intersection, and has two secret doors, which gives the players multiple potential vectors for exploration.
• The scene with the bodies of adventurers and berserkers serves as a clue as to some of the dangers players will encounter inside.  It also shows that the dungeon is a dynamic place and they aren't the first people to explore it.
  
• The option of placing a monster (and treasure) here can serve as a combat tutorial for new players or a warmup for more experienced ones.
• Finally, the magic mouths - yes, they're cheesy now, but in a good way.
  

I tried to keep these things in mind when populating the entrance and first room.  Shrewd observers will also notice I adapted one of the starting locations from the random dungeon generation appendix in the AD&D Dungeon Master Guide.  True confessions: I like to use lots of books with random tables and generators to spur creativity.  Who doesn't?

Treasure

The amount of treasure in the first level seems a little poor, but surprisingly enough, it is much more than the aforementioned B1 has in its ENTIRE treasure parcel list (with the exception of magic items thus far.)  Go figure!  I'll leave it as is, but with reservations, since it is just barely enough for four fighter class types to level up (BX rules,) and that's after clearing out the entire level! 

The Symbol of the Cult

There are several places where I mention the Cult's holy symbol, here is my interpretation of it:

 

 

I already have an idea that I want to make the Temple more than "just another snake cult," with subsequent levels slowly revealing that the Snake God of the Cult is actually a pseudo-Lovecraftian Elder being.

 

Wandering Monster Table

Last, but not least, what dungeon level is complete without a wandering monster table?  Here you go (2d6 roll:)

2 - The Wicker Goddess of the Gobb-men (Room 5,) actually a harpy (from Level 4) coming to or leaving from collecting her offerings
3 - 1d4+1 oor-men fighting a baern-man (from Level 3)
4 - A baern-man searching for something (or someone) good to eat
5 - 1d4 oor-men patrolling (Area B) or hunting (other areas) with a pox-cur (Room 10) on a chain leash
6 - 1d4+1 oor-men patrol (Area B) or war party (other areas)
7 - 2d6 kobb-men patrol (in Area D east) or skirmish group (other areas)
8 - 2d6 gobb-men patrol (Area C) or scouts (other areas)
9 - An oor-goliath (Room 13) under attack by 1d4 vampiric snakes (Room 2)
10 - An oor-goliath on the hunt
11 - A baern-man with a zombie on a leather leash
12 - NPC adventurers (equal in number and classes to the player characters)

Dungeon23: Week 4

If you're new to the blog, please start here.  Today marks a major milestone as the first level of The Temple of the Snake Cult is now complete.  A followup post will have a full map of the first level, links to the four sections, and some "director's" commentary.

Level 1 - Area D

This map is created under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Area D has some of the more rough and unfinished chambers of the Temple.  It is split into two sub-areas.  The western area (Rooms 22-24) is mostly avoided by the humanoids of the Temple.  The eastern chambers (25-28) provide an exit into the gorge behind the temple, and is dominated by the kobb-men.

Room 22: The Hive

Anyone listening can hear buzzing before reaching this chamber.  It is an unfinished room with a cavernous ceiling.

There are 10 giant (killer) bees here, which defend the deeper hive above.  The oor-men habitually smoke them out to acquire their honey, which has curative properties (treat as a potion that heals 1d4 hp.)  Only one dose of this special honey can be acquired every 1d6 months.

Room 23: The Middens

This room splits between cavern and hall leading out of the Temple.  The northern cavern is unstable.  Any characters passing through have a 2 in 6 chance of being hit by a falling rock from above for 1d6 damage.  Yelling or fighting in the hallway may cause a cave-in (same 2 in 6 chance) for 3d6 damage (save against petrification for half.)  The tunnel exit is a steep drop 50 ft. down, where the Temple servants would dump chamber pots and other organic waste.  The southern room was used to store large and/or broken items such as pottery, tools, and furniture.  There is nothing of else of value here.

Room 24: Priests’ Crypt

The hallway before this chamber is trapped with a 10 ft. pit midway through.  Once activated, the north and south walls inside the pit begin to press against each other, with spikes slowly emerging from holes, at a rate of three (3) feet every 10 seconds (1 round.)  The process takes 30 seconds (3 rounds) to complete, at which time the trap will reset at the same rate, including the collapsing trap floor.

Beyond the hallway is a crypt where priests of the Cult, embalmed in their once opulent vestments, rest in faded, stone sarcophagi.  Five (5) suits of scaled Cult guard armor, complete with masked helms, shields, and spears, are propped up to stand guard in the chamber - two at the entrance, two halfway through the chamber on opposite walls, and one at the end opposite of the entrance.  These “guards” are skeletons that animate and attack anyone not wearing the Cult’s holy symbol.  The skeletal guard’s armor and shields grant them an AC of 5 [15].

 

There are 11 sarcophagi in total.  Opening a sarcophagus requires a tool (such as a crowbar) or successful Strength roll to open doors.  Roll 2d6 to determine contents (each sarcophagus can only be searched once):

2*     A small vial of dark, bitter liquid (invisibility potion)

3*      A sapphire worth 175 gold

4      Container of spice or fragrance worth 1d6x10 gold

5     2d10 gold coins

6     2d10x100 copper coins

7 – 9     2d10x10 silver coins

10*     A gem-studded dagger worth 117 gold

11*     Jeweled bracelet worth 138 gold

12*     A scroll containing unholy spells (detect magic, speak with animals, continual darkness, bestow curse, and locate object)

* Result occurs only once.  Treat as a 7- 9 result thereafter.

Room 25: Chapel of the Vermin God

The walls of this room have been painted over with mystic symbols.  A defaced, stone altar centered near the north wall has a small, stuffed fetish doll of an unidentifiable, insectoid creature (the Vermin God of the kobb-men.)  In front of the doll is a plate of organic offerings covered in roaches, which do not scattter even in the presence of light.

The back of the altar has an opening, which is also full of roaches.  Inside is a pull switch that opens a secret door in the north wall to Room 28.

The fetish doll itself has an aura of Chaos that is detectable by spell.  Anyone not aligned with Chaos that takes the doll becomes cursed with a -1 penalty to attacks and saves.  In addition, any food items such as rations in the victim’s equipment will be found covered in roaches.  Any attempt by the cursed victim to get rid of or otherwise destroy the doll will appear successful at first, but the doll will then reappear in or near their personal effects.   The curse can only be removed via holy and/or magical means.

Room 26

This room is lit by four (4) oil lamps hung on the walls.  In the center of the room is a stone block with a small, ornate chest.  The floor shines with wavy, iridescent color, (because it is covered in lamp oil.)  The kobb-men have rigged the middle area of the room with a set of tripwires (+20% chance to find) that cause one of the oil lamps to fall and light the oil on the ground when tripped.

Victims caught in the conflagration must save against dragon breath or suffer 3d4 damage and catch on fire, suffering an additional 1d4 damage every round until smothered.  The oil in the room continues to burn for 10 rounds (1 turn.)  Victims who succeed their save suffer half damage and do not catch on fire.  The small chest is empty.

Room 27: Hall of the Kobb-men

This is the true home of the kobb-men.  Approximately 40 of the creatures call this chamber and surrounding areas home.  However, there are about 2d10 present at one time, as the others are out skulking and scavenging in the other areas as well as outside of the Temple.

The hall has been effectively turned into a small fort, with crude barricades, palisades, and berms made of discarded wood and refuse.  The “fort” is built in a concentric manner so that the kobb-men can constantly harass and hopefully drive away or destroy invaders from above.

The kobb-men’s Hetman (2 HD, 9 hp) dwells in the central area with 1d6 bodyguards (1 HD each.)  The Hetman is a burn-scarred, one-eyed little tyrant who wishes death on all the other humanoids of the Temple, but is sadly not powerful enough to do so.  He is armored with mismatched pieces of Temple guard armor and fights with a ceremonial labrys (battle axe.)  If characters somehow manage to appease him, he is open to having his tribesfolk assist in any plans to ambush other creatures in the temple.  However, he is fickle and will abandon (or turn on) them if a battle doesn’t go their way.

The Hetman’s treasure is made up of coins (10 silver, 392 gold, and 7 copper) piled in a corner, as well as his labrys, which is decorated with serpentine etchings and small jewels, and is worth 130 gold.  Removing about half of the coins from the pile releases a wooden pressure plate that triggers a hidden crossbow (1d6 damage, save against death ray to avoid.)  The bolt is covered in kobb-man dung, and victims must save against poison to avoid the wound becoming septic (treat as a cause disease spell.)
A berm on the southeastern side of the hall conceals a small tunnel to the warrens in Room 14 (note: consider this a revision to that room.)

Room 28

Six (6) gnomes have taken refuge in this secret vault.  They were prospecting in the caves behind the Temple when they ran afoul of the kobb-men.  If characters help the gnomes by defeating and clearing the kobb-men lair in Room 27 (all 40 of them plus their Hetman,) they will gratefully offer to teach them some pointers about stonework.  This training takes one day, and the characters will then gain the ability to detect sloping passages, sliding walls, new constructions, and stonework room traps as a dwarf, but at a lower level of skill (1 in 6 chance when searching.)  This ability works for Levels 1-3 of this dungeon only.

With the kobb-men gone or driven off, the gnomes will establish a base camp in Room 27 for their mining operations in about a month’s time.  The player characters will thereafter be considered friends of the gnomes and welcome at the base camp.  Optionally,  the GM can devise further adventures with the gnomes as their operation can potentially expand and turn Level 1 of the Temple into a full-fledged gnome lair.