Dungeon23: Week 48

Area D: Maintenance and Servers

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

Room 22: Bot Storage and Maintenance

Corruption from the Ovoid converges on the door to this room.  The majority of the room is also covered in the corruption, partly concealing small and large metal statues similar to those the PC may have encountered elsewhere in the Halls.  Parts of the corruption have a number of protrusions with oozing holes similar to anthills.  These are krigg nests (see Room 5.)

During the turn the PCs search this area, 20 krigg (HP 8, 14, 11, 5, 7, 12, 4, 13, 6, 11, 10, 12, 13, 7, 12, 9, 14, 5, 13, 6) will slowly emerge slowly from their nests, employing their natural camouflage; since they are moving towards the PCs, the surprise chance is 3-in-6.

If main power has been turned on, the metal statues are active and struggling against the krigg.  Due to this, only half the number of krigg will be able to attack the PCs.

Once the krigg are dealt with, the metal statues begin cleaning up the corruption and krigg nests in the area, oblivious to the PCs.  The small ones are spider-like with small claws, while the large ones walk on two legs, with crab-like bodies and pincers.  If attacked, the small ones will flee while the large ones will utter platitudes to cease, followed by “Security has been notified” if the assault continues.  There is no response, however.  The small ones have AC 3 [16] and 2 HD and the large ones have AC 0 [19] and 4 HD.

If this room is cleared and main power is turned on, the small maintenance bots can later be encountered in other parts of the Halls, trying to repair certain areas and clearing patches of Ovoid-stuff.

One of the krigg nests has a skeleton with a Yellow access card.  The rear area is littered with parts of various metal statues and metal men.  At the GM’s discretion, some of the parts here can be used by Grizz (see Level 7, Area C2,) to build one or more devices from an Elder Builder diagram.

Room 23: Damage Control

This junction features a Yellow access door straight ahead, which has been barred with plasti-steel table and chairs.  A Red Access door labeled “REACTOR” is to the right.  The word has been crossed out and the words “INVISIBLE DEATH” written in blood.  An area to the left has some remaining plasti-steel desks and chairs.

If main power has been turned on, the wall in the area with the desks activates with illusory images, including a map of the facility that shows the room to the north in red, with the phrases “REACTOR DAMAGE” and “RADIATION DANGER.”  If the krigg in Room 22 have not been dealt with, the phrase “BOT ERROR: UNABLE TO DEPLOY” is flashing.  Otherwise, the phrase “DEPLOY BOTS?” is flashing.  If the PCs touch this prompt, it changes to “BOTS DEPLOYED.” A number of small metal crabs from Room 22 will reach Room 25 in 1d6 turns via the maintenance hatches and repair the damage there in 2d6 hours.  The room will then be safe to access without the threat of radiation.

Room 24: Maintenance Storage

This room contains dust-laden, plasti-steel shelves and crates.  There are spare parts, tools, and broken machinery scattered about among patches of corrupt Ovoid-stuff.  Some of the crates have melted pock marks on top of their surfaces, with trails of corrosion running down their sides.

The storage room (AI image courtesy of Bing Image Creator.)

 

Characters inspecting one of four, corroded crates have a 4-in-6 chance of being surprised by a translucent, paramecium-like slug that drops on them.  

Oozing Corruption:  AC 6 [13]; HD 10 (HP 54, 46, 45); MV 50 ft. (10 ft.); ATK special; SV fighter 10; ML 6; AL N; XP 2,000 (or by HD)

Corrosive suffocation: On a successful hit, the oozing corruption wraps itself around its victim.  It causes 1d6 damage per round due to corrosive secretions and suffocates them in 2d4 rounds plus their Constitution bonus unless freed.

The crates contain the following:

• 1d4 uni-tools
• 2d4 maintenance suits (see Room 4d)
  
• A two-handed cutting tool with a "blade" of lightning.  It can cut through any color access door in 2d6 rounds.  It can also be used as a +2 battle axe.
• 1d4 boxes of swarms:  these small, hexagonal boxes deploy a small swarm of nanites when a central button is pressed.  They repair a broken or disabled item, but can also disable high tech traps or cause 3d6 damage to metal men and similar creatures, stunning them for one round.  Each kit has one use.
• A rod that that fires a magnetic grapnel and plasti-steel line extending up to 100 feet.
• A number of crystals cut with a skill unavailable to surface world gem-cutters.  While these are unique, spare parts for certain devices in the Halls, they may be worth up to 8,000 gp to the right buyer.

 At the GM’s discretion, the shelves also include spare parts that may be used by Grizz to construct an Elder Builder diagram device.

Room 25: Power Reactor

This room has three sections.  The first descends down a set of stairs to a room with alcoves to the right.  One of the alcoves has a maintenance suit hanging from a hook inside.  The second area is an airlock with two, Red access doors.  

Beyond the airlock is a metal walkway surrounded on both sides with column-like cylinders wade up of faintly-glowing rods  If any PCs have a maintenance suit on, a display on the visor shows the words “RADIATION DANGER” in yellow with a number below it.  If PCs that remain in this area for one hour (6 turns) or more without a maintenance suit on, must make a save against poison or begin to feel sick (from radiation poisoning.) They lose one (1) point of Constitution permanently!  Even if they succeed, they must make a save every hour spent in this area.

Columns of invisible death (AI image courtesy of Bing Image Creator.)

 

At the end of the walkway is a metal altar with four cylinders.  Each has a handle and can be pushed in and turned right to lock.  Only one of these has been pushed in.  A skeleton in a maintenance suit is off to one side, has a Red access card, a mirror of sending, and a rod of blasting with 14/15 charges on the floor nearby.  The suit has a large hole in the torso that which been sealed by the hardening gel.  A second skeleton with a maintenance suit seems to have been cut three ways, rendering the suit useless,

Each time a cylinder is locked in place, a light next to it turns from yellow to green.  If all cylinders are pushed in and turned (in any order,) the room lights up with overhead lights.  The column-like cylinders in the pit below begin to glow more intensely.  Any characters that have a maintenance suit on will see the display on their visor turns red with the phrase “RADIATION DANGER: HIGH” flashing with a higher number than before below it.  Unprotected characters now must make saves against poison every turn to avoid losing Constitution due to radiation poisoning.  Those with maintenance suits now must make a save every hour.

The beds in Room 15 can diagnose the radiation poisoning in any characters that have lost Constitution.  These characters will be referred to the Lazarus Chamber (Room 16.)  The chamber can restore lost Constitution points at a rate of one per hour, thereby curing the radiation poisoning.

When characters exit this area via the airlock, both doors close and they are sprayed with water from the walls and ceiling for one turn before the door opens and they are able to exit.

Room 26: Quantum Mantrap

Dr. Diamante has trapped this section leading to the MYTHRAS AI servers, using a combination of experimental technology and dark inspiration from the Ovoid.

The walls project a shimmering energy field, which also detects as magic (with a spell.)  Passing through the field, or merely touching it activates a quantum encryption matrix, with a random effects on the victim (roll 1d6):

1-2. The field emits a surge of quantum energy, causing damage to molecular structures.  Characters within 10 feet suffer 4d6 damage (save against breath for half.)  In addition, one random item held or worn by the character is disintegrated.  Magical items get a save against wands.  

3-4. Lightning arcs from the field to the character touching it, causing 10d6 lightning then arcs to the three, closest characters within 30 feet for 5d6 and 3d6 damage respectively.  Characters may save against spells for half damage.  In addition, one wondrous item from the Halls that uses power cylinders, such as a wand of burning light or mirror of sending, is rendered inoperable.

5-6. The character(s) are transported to a hallucinatory maze of shifting, geometric shapes in the Astral Plane.  Succeeding at an Intelligence check allows the character(s) to solve the maze and successfully pass through the field.  Those that fail suffer disorientation and 2d6 damage (no save,) and depart the field in the direction away from the server room.

Room 27: Server Room

This room has multiple, cylindrical columns with faint, glowing lights.  The northwest end of the room has a desk and chairs; while the southwest end has ten (10) metal sculptures of women which may be recognizable to the PCs as copies of Dr. Diamante, albeit only partially covered in a synthetic skin covering.

Dr. Diamante's simulacra (AI image courtesy of Bing Image Creator.)

 

If the Doctor is with the PCs, she will attack at a time of her choosing (see Room 19.)  Otherwise, one of the copies here will activate and attack.  After one android is destroyed, two will activate then three, and finally four in a last-ditch attempt to stop the PCs from accessing the MYTHRAS AI node.  The android(s) will play a cat-and-mouse game, using the server columns as hiding places or cover.

Even if she is down to her last android, Dr. Diamante has one remaining card up her sleeve: she activates the metal goliath in Room 11, which arrives in 1d6 rounds if it hasn’t already been destroyed.

Room 28: MYTHRAS AI Node

This circular room is spartan save for polyhedral sculpture floating above a dais on a field of energy.  The dais is surrounded by a number of open, capsular beds.  Two of the beds are closed and have the mummified bodies of a man and a woman inside them.

If main power has been turned on and Dr. Diamante’s androids have been destroyed, the sculpture projects the image of the religious figure the PCs may have encountered earlier.  The image then slowly changes into that of an older man dressed in a white robe similar to Dr. Diamante’s.  This is the remaining consciousness of Dr. Bamutu, which has fused with the AI known as MYTHRAS.  The image takes on a kindly demeanor, and introduces itself to the PCs, thanking them for their help and patiently answering any questions they may have by revealing the Truth of the Wyrlds.

Dr. Bamutu's consciousness within MYTHRAS (AI image courtesy of Bing Image Creator.)

 

At this point, it is up to the PCs whether they want to help MYTHRAS/Dr. Bamutu by entering the Astral Plane and stopping the rogue consciousness of Dr. Diamante once and for all.  If they agree, he bids them to enter the capsule beds to access the Astral Plane.  The adventure continues in Sublevel 10E.

If they refuse, he bids them to reconsider, with a dire warning that entire Wyrlds, including their own, may be in danger while Dr. Diamante’s consciousness remains free of the MYTHRAS AI.  If he cannot convince them, he asks whether they would at least accept his help in returning to their surface Wyrld, and directs them to the Monorail Station (Room 7,) where there is now a train waiting.  After a brief ride, the train stops at a small station with a door that accesses a circular room 10 feet in diameter.  Once inside, the door closes and the room begins to move upwards rapidly as an elevator.  During the trip, a gas begins to seep into the room.  PCs must save against poison every round or fall unconscious.  They will later wake up 1d6x4 hexes away in a random direction (roll 1d6) from the Temple of the Snake Cult (Hex 1624.)   Conditions in the Wondrous Halls may change if the PCs return.  Given enough time, Dr. Diamante could regain control of the facility and prepare new defenses against intruders.

If the PCs defeated Dr. Diamante in the Astral Plane, the MYTHRAS AI, now whole, offers them a second option: they may now access other Wyrlds via the monorail.  The trip provides a majestic view of space, the Wyrldbearer vessel, and its many Wyrlds.  Each one of these could be any favorite campaign setting of GM’s, including ones of their own devising.  MYTHRAS may employ the PCs in securing other Wyrlds and places from the Ovoids and other threats, with rewards possibly involving access to new, wondrous items.   The details of such adventures and rewards are beyond the scope of this writing, and therefore left for the GM to imagine.

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.