Dungeon23: Week 41

Level 9 - The Ovoid From Beyond the Stars

Living passages within the Ovoid (AI image courtesy of Bing Image Creator.)

The Ovoid is a living, organic vessel of alien origin.  The inside of its solid surface teems with strange life, from its very walls to the organisms that dwell within.  The Ovoid itself is semi-sentient, and its organic passages can become aware of intrusive bodies and respond accordingly.  The Ovoid’s features are as follows: 

Walls: The Ovoid is a living, organic construct, as evidenced by its moist, pulsating, fleshy, and semi-calcareous walls.  The walls may be damaged by spells or magic weapons.  Dealing 18 points or more of damage causes a rupture in an area roughly five feet in diameter.  However, hurting the Ovoid, even through indirect damage (such as spells or missed, magical missile weapon fire,) engenders an immunity response (see below.) 

Illumination: The inside of the Ovoid is shrouded in darkness.  However, the glow of electrical pulses traveling between nerve endings can sometimes be seen through the walls, providing a brief moment of illumination like a lightning flash every 1d6 rounds.  This can be checked during combat, or when player characters (PCs) are attempting to be stealthy, since it can potentially disrupt such attempts. 

Doors: As an organic construct, the Ovoid does not have doors per se.  Major junctions (rooms) have sphincter-like hatches, about five-six feet in diameter, that open and shut at the whim or necessity of the Ovoid.  Every time the PCs enter one of these junctions, one or more of the sphincter-hatches are open (roll randomly for the number.)  If the PCs stay in a junction for 1d6 turns, or return to one later, they will see that the sphincter-hatches change their status (roll again.)  Casting charm monster on the walls or hatches allows a magic-user to open and close any sphincter-hatches by mere thought for the duration of the spell.  The Ovoid counts as an above-average intelligence creature for purposes of the spell.  Knock spells, as well as physical force (roll for opening stuck doors) can open a sphincter-hatch, but these heavy-handed attempts elevate the Ovoid’s response level by one (see below.) 

Immunity Response: Every time there is a hostile encounter or the Ovoid’s structure is damaged, its response level elevates as it tries to deal with invaders.  The Ovoid’s alertness levels are as follows:

Passive (0): This is the Ovoid’s normal status.  Random encounters occur as normal for a dungeon.  The sphincter-hatches open and shut as described above. 

Alerted (1): The Ovoid has become aware to the presence of danger.  Random encounters are checked every turn.  Sphincter-hatches are checked once and do not change.  Electric pulse illumination occurs every other round. 

Active (2): The Ovoid is actively fighting the “infection”.  Random encounters occur on a 2-in-6 chance every turn.  All sphincter-hatches are shut, and open only for wandering monsters.  The Ovoid is illuminated with constant, nervous, electric activity in the walls.

Use of a charm monster spell (see above) can reset the Ovoid’s response level back to Passive (0).

Area A: Chalazaeic Passages

This map is released under terms of the  CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

 

Room 1: Wall Guardian

This airlock-like room (“a”) ends in a sphincter-hatch that opens once the PCs enter through the opening on the Ovoid’s outer shell (using one of the Aboleth's eyes.)  This outer shell’s opening closes first, then the sphincter-hatch in front opens.  Inside is a chamber with a four-armed, bony humanoid embedded on the pulsating wall.  Its arms end in ossified spikes and blades rather than hands.

As soon as the PCs cross to the mid-point of the room, the GM should check for a reaction from the creature (treat as a golem of bone, HP 38.)  The PCs are entitled to this reaction check only if they possess one or more of the Aboleth’s eyes.  Otherwise, (or on a negative reaction) the creature rips itself from the wall and attacks the intruders; the Ovoid’s response level goes up by one (see above.)

PCs can exit and reenter the Ovoid by the same method (i.e. using one of the Aboleth’s eyes.).  There five other "airlocks" in this section of the Ovoid (also labeled “a”.)

The recess where the wall guardian rests has a bone socket with a glowing, grub-like creature connected to it.  There is one (1) polyp above the socket glowing wth the same intensity as the grub.  If the grub is removed, it and the polyp stop glowing (see puzzle explanation in Room 2 below.)

Room 2: Living Chest Prison

This room is dominated by a massive, chest-like structure that emerges from the floor.  Its throbbing, organic body is reinforced with rib-like banding.  The “chest” seems to be shut and does not have a lock, but rather a bony socket one one side, surrounded by six (6) small polyps that pulse with faint electrical light.  If the grub in Room 1 is still connected to its socket.  The top polyp is glowing more intensely than the others.

If the PCs touch the “chest” it communicates via empathy: it requires “connection”.  All it can do is communicate this need with increasing desperation.  What it means by this is that it needs to be connected to the section’s main brain-node (see Room 5.)  This is done by connecting a number of organic grubs (found in Room 4) to similar sockets in five other rooms in the correct order: One – Room 2, Two – Room 3, Three – Room 6, Four – Room 7, Five – Room 5.  Finally, a grub must be attached to the “chest” socket to open it.  When a grub is connected to a socket in the correct order (based on number of polyps next to it,) its body as well as the polyp(s) surrounding it begin to glow.  At the same time, one of the six polyps on the "chest" lights up in clockwise, sequential order (starting from the top.)  If the PCs connect a grub to a socket with the incorrect number of polyps in the sequence, an electrical surge fries the grub and causes 1d6 damage to the character that was holding it.

If the PCs manage to connect grubs to all the sockets in the correct order, the chest opens to reveal a mass of worms that forms into a handmaid like the one in Room 5, albeit slightly shorter in stature.  It introduces itself telepathically as Aarvyx and explains that it is part of a rogue faction of handmaids.  These occasionally occur, and the Ovoid tries to exterminate them mercilessly like a cancer.  However, this one batch became too powerful and so had to be contained in a prison pod disconnected from the section’s brain-node.  Aarvyx wisely split itself, letting one half of itself escape into the Underwilds before it was captured.  Aarvyx and its other half are all that remains of the rogue faction.

In gratitude, the rogue handmaid will grant a magic-user the knowledge of how to use the brain-nodes to open and close sphincter-hatches and raise or lower the Ovoid’s response level.  However, the brain-node only works on this section of the Ovoid.  Other sections have their own brain-nodes.

Aarvyx’s other half is none other than Xyvraa at the Emporium in the City of the Snake-Men (Level 7, Area C2.)  If Aarvyx manages to escape the Ovoid, it will eventually rejoin with itself.  PCs returning to the Emporium will be rewarded with one or more random or special magic items (GM’s discretion.)

Room 3: Sphincter Pit

The floor in the center of this area is actually a larger (10-foot radius) sphincter-hatch.  There is a 2-in-6 chance the hatch opens in funnel-like manner, dropping characters into a five foot-wide pit that drops 100 feet below (area and room TBD) for 10d6 damage.  The sphincter-hatch shuts only if the Ovoid’s response level changes.  It cannot be opened via physical means available to the PCs, but spells such as knock work, elevating the Ovoid's response by one level.

This room has a wall socket with two (2) glowing polyps.

The pit also provides access to the next sections of the Ovoid via ledges (see map.)

Room 4: Storage Sac

This room features a recessed pool of glowing, amniotic liquid.  Several six-inch long, grub-like creatures swim in it.  These grubs are organic “connectors” that need to go in the bony sockets to connect the living "chest" in Room 2 to the brain-node in Room  5 to open.  While a little disturbing, the grubs themselves are harmless.  When held near one of the sockets, the grub’s mouth filaments reach out greedily for it.    There are enough grubs in the pool that the PCs can waste as many as they need to eventually solve the puzzle.

Connector grubs (AI image courtesy of Bing Image Creator.)

Room 5: Brain Node and Handmaid

This chamber features a brain-like mass floating above an organic pedestal.  Tending to this brain-node is a humanoid creature made up of writhing worms similar, but smaller than the Snake God.  The creature has one, central “eye” on its writhing “head.”  These are the Ovoid’s Handmaids that tend to its needs.
The PCs are entitled to a reaction roll only if they possess one of the Aboleth’s eyes.  Otherwise, the handmaid attacks.  In the event of combat, the Ovoid’s response level goes up by one.  The handmaid communicates telepathically, but ignores the PCs on a neutral or positive reaction, unless they attempt to disturb it or handle the brain-node.

Handmaid of the Ovoid: AC 5 [14]; HD 8; MV 120 ft. (40 ft.); ATK special;  SV magic-user 9;  ML 10;  AL C; XP 3,000 (or HD + four specials)

Camouflage: the handmaids can blend in completely with the walls of the Ovoid, making them indistinguishable from the organic structures. 

Psychic Ray:  The handmaid’s eye can blast a ray of psychic energy in a 20-foot wide cone up to 60 feet away.  Victims must save against magic wands or become stunned (unable to move or act) for 2d6 rounds. 

Wormtacles: the handmaids can extend up to four, tentacular strands of worms to attack.  The tentacle strands envelop and restrain the victim (half move, and -2 to hit and damage.)  They can be removed by a successful roll to open stuck doors (penalty above applies.)  A handmaid with a single victim will attempt to envelop them in all four tentacle strands.  The worm tentacles then seek to tap the victim’s spine (1d3 damage,) and feed on the fluid within.  The victim dies in 1d4 rounds. 

Spells: The handmaids have spell-like psychic powers.   They can cast the following spells once per day: charm person, charm monster, detect thoughts (ESP,) and levitation.

The organic pedestal has a bony socket with five (5) glowing polyps. 

One of the Ovoid's handmaids tending to a brain-node (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.)

Room 6: Sphincter Pit Part Deux

The floor of this room has another large sphincter hatch as in Room 3 above.  The bottom of this pit is Area D, Room 25. 

The wall of this room has a socket with three (3) glowing polyps.

This pit also provides access to other sections of the Ovoid through the overhanging observation decks ledges (see Area C, Room 16.)

 

Room 7: Constricting Appendix

This passage ends in a tapering, 10-foot by 10-foot area surrounded with fleshy polyps, and scattered, glittering coins (60,000 sp, 4,000 gp.)  The polyps are very sensitive to touch, and cause the chamber to collapse tightly, constricting anyone within for 12d6 damage.  The chamber releases once the foreign body is removed, usually by one of the Ovoid’s ooze-like cleaning organisms such as an ochre jelly.  A charm monster spell can also cause it to release.

The entrance of the chamber (before the constricting area,) has a wall socket with four (4) glowing polyps.

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document.  The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.