Evolving Paradigm

Another "special" room. Gill-men have been discussed previously - but let me introduce their evolutionary opposites, the Hyper-men.  Alone, they are weak and pitiful, but in a group they can lay down some serious damage.

38. Evolving Paradigm
In the center of this room is a protonium-metal pedestal, on top of which is attached an uncomfortable-looking stainless steel chair. The arms of the chair are covered with black plastic beads.

An aged plastic console with two knife switches protrudes from the pedestal. One is labeled “Devolve,” and the other “Evolve.”

If a switch is pulled while a creature sits in the chair, they will either evolve or devolve, visibly transforming to their new state. Pulling both switches simultaneously will cause the poor creature to oscillate back and forth between evolutionary states. While either (or both) of the switches are pulled, an impenetrable, glowing field of rainbow hues dances around the chair, and the chair’s occupant will be held immobile.

Evolution
Devolved characters may go through the “evolve” process to return to normal, and evolved may devolve. If quoted text is present, a mechanical voice recites that text and no transformation occurs.
Species	Devolve	Evolve
Human	Gill-man	Hyper-man
Elf, Dwarf, Halfling	Goblin	“Hybridization prevents further analysis”
Goblin	“Further regession impossible”	Hive Mind (unless a devolved elf / dwarf / halfling, in which case the subject will return to his normal state)
Gill-man	“Further regression impossible”	Human
Hyper-Man	Human	“Maximum evolution achieved”
Moktar	Housecat	“Maximum evolution achieved”
Insect-Man	“Insufficient mammalian DNA”	“Insufficient mammalian DNA”

The options listed above are not comprehensive, and it is left to the referee’s discretion on how to deal with other species and states of evolution.

Monsters transformed into higher or lower states will not experience a change in personality, and will likely be quite upset about their transformation.

Hyper-Men
No. Enc: 1d4 (5d4)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 0’
  Fly: 30’ (10’)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3
Attacks: Weapon, or mental blast
Damage: By weapon, or 1d4
Save: F3
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: XVI
XP: 95

Hyper-men represent the evolutionary endpoint of mankind: narrow frowning faces, oversized foreheads and skulls to accommodate their advanced brains, and tiny infant-like bodies dangling below their bald heads.

Hyper-men would be physically helpless if not for their incredible mental prowess. They use their psychic abilities to float in mid-air, and are able to slowly move about in any direction. They do not speak with their mouths – rather, they broadcast their thoughts directly into the minds of anyone standing within 30’. They are unable to read thoughts, however – only broadcast them.

Hyper-men only have 1 hp, but they maintain a constant field of mental energy to deflect blows and reduce damage. It is this field that is represented by the bulk of their hit points and their armor class. The field regenerates at a rate of 1 hp per round when damaged.

In combat, hyper-men may use their minds to manipulate weapons as if they had hands – these weapons must be kept within 3’ of their bodies to be used effectively however. They may also choose to use a mental blast, causing 1d4 points of damage to all non-hyper-men within a 10’ radius if the victims fail a save vs. magic.

Proximity-Sensing Taunt Recorder

What's up with ASE2-3?  Well, I write at the pace my players explore, because I'm incredibly lazy, and they are firmly focused on the 2nd level right now.  So it's still a work in progress.  I expect them to go deeper any session now, so I'm ramping up efforts on level 3 - plus I need to get a draft to Brian so he can finish up the art.  If I actually focus on writing, there's not too much work left to be done, but you know, lazy.  So very lazy.

I've also joined Trey's online Weird Adventures game.  Google+ is very buggy, but it was a good time anyways - Trey is a good DM.  My guy is Creskin the turban-wearing wizard.  Instead of being sensible and loading up on adventuring gear, I got a tuxedo with his starting money.  Gotta have priorities!

Anyhow here's room #1 from level 3.  This was inspired by the magic mouth illustration in the Player's Handbook.

1. Automated Taunting Machine
Mounted to the southwest wall of this room is a proximity-sensing taunt recorder. If the party has not yet had run-ins with competing adventuring parties, the recording will be of a hinge-headed, reciting “I claim this worthless stretch of dungeon in the name of Lord Pimifus and the Basalt Ziggurat!”

On the other hand, if rival parties of NPC’s have made an appearance, the message will consist of taunts, boasts, and displays of valuable loot the NPC’s have recovered (preferably referencing areas the party has previously passed up or puzzles they were unable to solve).

Proximity-Sensing Taunt Recorder
These devices have a superficial resemblance to God’s Eyes.  They are triangular black plastic screens, 4’ across, with stainless-steel frames.  Protruding from the frame under the screen is a single red button.

Anyone coming within 15’ of a recorder will trigger its pre-recorded video message. These usually involve taunts of some kind or, more rarely, loud noises to alert nearby guards.

Pressing the red button will cause the screen to go black, with the word “RECORDING” displayed in red in the middle of the screen.  While the button is depressed, it will record video and audio, for up to five minutes. This new recording will completely erase the previous message.

These machines are firmly attached to dungeon walls with strong adhesives, and prying them off will almost always damage them. Their power is supplied through bundles of low-voltage wiring, that will be torn out with the recorder should it be removed.

Head Exchanger

65. Head Exchanger
Along the north wall of this room is a leather chair with stainless steel straps at the neck, wrist, and ankle locations.  Above the chair, a metal armature sticks out of the wall, terminating in an array of drills, saws, and pincers. Next to this contraption is a locked stainless steel cabinet, 8’ tall. The cabinet is fastened securely to the wall and floor, and will not move.

There is a dial on the side of the cabinet, with several settings:  the numbers one through ten, and the word “Off.” It is currently set to “Off”.  There is also a light above the dial.  While set to “Off,” the light is unlit.  If the dial is set to a number corresponding to a head in the cabinet, it will glow green.  If it is set to a position in the cabinet with no head, it will glow red.

Should anyone sit on the chair (or be forced into it), and the dial is set to a number (as opposed to “Off”), the straps will clamp down firmly, holding the subject in place.  The metal armature will then swing down, blades will spin and messily cut off the top of the subject’s head, pincers will remove the brain, and a pair of shears will snip off the remainder of the head at the neck.  The pieces of the head will roll into the subject’s lap, while a second set of pincers reach into the cabinet from the top.

If the dial is set to a spot in the cabinet with a head, the pincers will remove a new head, dripping with preservative fluids, the light changing from green to red as the second head is lifted away.  The new head will be sawn open, the brain dropped in its new home, and then head and brain will be reattached to the subject’s body.  The entire procedure will be complete in under five seconds, and the subject, although enduring excruciating pain, will not suffer any loss of hit points. A hideous scar with thick black stitching is left around the subject’s neck where the new head has been attached.

If the dial was set to an empty spot, the second set of pincers will come back empty.  The brain will be placed on the subject’s neck and re-attached, but without any head.  While alive, the subject is blind, deaf, and mute, and will suffer seizures and hallucinations if the brain is touched.  If water and pre-chewed food are poured down the esophagus, the subject can live indefinitely in this horrible state.

The top of the cabinet has a small sliding hatch that will automatically open and close to allow the armature access to the heads. Other than that, the key is required to open the cabinet doors.  If opened, ten head-jars full of preservative fluid will be revealed.  New heads may be placed in the jars and attached to subjects, if desired, once the cabinet is open. The heads of prior subjects of head-transplantation are ruined, however, as the skull tops have been cut off, and the machine will not stitch them back together.

The following table lists the heads initially present in the cabinet:

Heads and Their Effects
1.	Incredibly handsome human male head	Subject’s charisma increased by 1d4 points, if male (not to exceed 18)
2.	Giant fly head	Subject now unable to speak
3.	Troglodyte head	Subject’s charisma decreased by 1 point due to nasty odor
4.	Oversized fat human head	If subject isn’t already fat, charisma decreased by 1 point
5.	Empty
6.	Medusa’s head	Subject’s gaze turns people to stone
7.	Screechman head	Subject has to scream constantly to see clearly via echo-location.  -2 to hit if not screaming.
8.	Empty
9.	Gill-man head	Subject can breathe water
10.	Incredibly beautiful human female head	Subject’s charisma increased by 1d4 points, if female (not to exceed 18)

Note that dwarves and elves who have their heads exchanged will lose their wide-spectrum vision, unless the new head is dwarven or elven.

The key to the cabinet is inside the desk of Dr. Giggles, in room 89.  Should players unlock the cabinet (or break it open), and the medusa’s head is still present, they will need to save vs. petrification or be turned to stone.

Hall of the Underlords

Here's another "special".  This one gives a little history - most of it is meaningless flavor, but Uligob the Hive-Mind still lives down in the levels below.  I left the first bas relief blank to encourage ambitious players who felt like establishing an underworld dominion.  Ha, good luck with that if they try!

97. Hall of the Underlords
This hall stands 40’ tall, with a byzantine vaulted ceiling, carved into abstract spirals and triangles.  The walls are decorated with bas reliefs, depicting ambitious underlords of the Anomalous Subsurface Environment who sought to rule the subterranean realm.

Each bas relief occupies a 20’ by 20’ area on the walls, and is bordered by raised black stone, carved in a spiral and veined with a translucent blue mineral.

a. This section of the wall bears the same border the other bas reliefs do, but is empty, except for these words carved at the bottom:  “The Last Underlord, Whose Rule Is Yet To Come.”

b. This bas relief depicts a goblin in armor, attended by robed, man-sized goblinoids with swollen heads.  These words are carved beneath:  “Uligub, Lord of the Labyrinth. His mind lives still.”

c. The mural here shows three robed bearded men of advanced age.  The first man holds a loaf of bread, the second has a belt around his waist from which dangle severed hands, and the third is cutting through his robe and abdomen to reveal his bowels.  The image is titled:  “The November Gentlemen.  Living or dead, all kneeled before them. Devoured by darkness, they shall not return.”

d. Carved onto this section of the wall is a spider in a vast webbed hall.  It is titled:  “Morguilos, Spinner of Lies. Fire burned lie and spider alike.”

e. The section of the southern wall pointing inwards is carved with skulls.  Below the skulls are carved the words “The Treasures of the Underlords.”

f. This bas relief shows a man-shaped figure made of spikes and blades, surrounded by corpses.  The words carved below it read:  “The Blade of Kharg.  He slew all who fought with sword, but was laid low by the song of Lem.”

If the bas relief of the November Gentlemen is inspected carefully, the players will find that the carved bowels of the third gentleman may be depressed.  Doing so will cause the eye sockets of the skulls carved into the southern wall to open.  If the skulls in the Disco Vault (room 27) are still within, alternating green and blue lights will shine from the sockets, resulting in bright circles of color on the northern wall.  Players may peer through the sockets to see within room 27.  The sockets will remain open for as long as the bowel-carving is depressed.

Dicing Contest Room

Work is proceeding on the "setting" portion of the first level book for my megadungeon.  That part will probably be done in the next week or two, and then I'll be sending the level off to my volunteer editor for review.  I've also got to do some mapping of the City Underfoot for the Wednesday night session, in case the players decide to go after Thor's silver hammer, and I want to flesh out the Stinkborough adventure hook that the players have studiously been ignoring.  Even when ignored, those chickens (or flies, in this case) do come home to roost.

In the meantime, I've got to start thinking about keying the second level.  This "special" encounter will be down there somewhere, but I'm not sure which room yet.  It could be a game in one of the carnie tents outside the big top, but I'm thinking a player-vs-player contest like this is best stuck somewhere else.  The carnie games will all be rigged and gruesome, and this game doesn't have that flavor.

Dicing Contest
In the center of this room is a round stone table atop a pedestal, with a nearly-transparent yellow dome covering the tabletop.  The pedestal is ornately carved, with pairs of smiling and frowning figures engaged in contests of strength.  On top of the table, under the dome, is a pair of twelve-sided dice, one black, and one white.

A person can put one hand through the dome without resistance, and pick up a single die.  The dome will be impassable for a second hand from the same person.  A second person can also put a single hand in, but any additional people will be blocked by the dome.  Neither can the dice cannot pass through the surface of the dome – the dome acts a solid surface with respect to the dice.

Objects other than a character’s hands (and forearms, of course) cannot penetrate the dome.  Should characters experiment with holding objects in clenched fists, and dropping them on the table, or wearing gloves, they will find that they can leave objects under the dome this way, and remove them later – only the dice may never be removed.

The table is a game of chance.  If two individuals roll the dice simultaneously, the person who rolls highest will gain a point to a randomly selected attribute, and the loser will lose a point from a randomly selected attribute.  On a tie, each player both loses a point and gains a point.  Note that the attributed for each gain and loss is determined separately – player “A” could gain a point of Charisma, while player “B” could lose a point of Strength.  They do not have to be the same.  This rule applies to ties as well – player “A” could gain a point in Strength, and lose a point in Intelligence, where player “B” could gain a point in Dexterity, and lose a point in Dexterity, and thus have no change at all.

Roll a d6 on the following table to determine which attribute gets modified for any gain and/or loss:

1. Strength
2. Intelligence
3. Wisdom
4. Dexterity
5. Constitution
6. Charisma

No attribute can be raised above 18 via this game.  Re-roll to select a different attribute if an attribute is to be increased, and is already at 18 or higher.  If a character has all stats at 18 or higher, it is impossible for him to receive any benefits from playing this game.  Correspondingly, no attribute can be reduced below 3 – re-roll to determine a different attribute to reduce if it is already at 3 or less.  If a character has all stats at 3 or less, he cannot be further harmed by playing this game.

The dice, when released simultaneously, will wildly bounce off the table and inside surface of the dome, sparking madly at each impact, confounding efforts to cheat by trying to control the landing of the dice.

If the dice are rolled by the same person, or not rolled simultaneously, there is no effect.

Funhouse-style room

I'm not entirely sure I like the symbols in the Dungeon Designer 2 catalog.  They don't seem old-school enough.  I'm probably going to create new symbols - but this will of course slow my dungeon mapping down.  I'll give them a try on the gatehouse level and post the results, maybe they'll grow on me.

Below is a funhouse-style room (well, not an actual funhouse, that will be on Level 2).  You should be able to tell why I say my dungeon keys are much much much longer than most megadungeon examples.  I've still got that last room to detail, which is driving me nuts.  It's room 160 on the map.  I decided to put a bunch of tattered banners in room 159, which leads into 160 (if you don't take the side doors), but I can't figure out what kind of trap to actually put in room 160.  The most coherent thoughts I've had so far is "trap with monster."

Enough complaining, here's one of my "specials":

150. Misty Arches
The walls of this room are lined with archways, leading into small 10’ by 10’ rooms.  Each archway is filled with a thick mist of a different color (red, orange, yellow, white, black, green, blue, and purple), blocking vision into the room beyond.  In the center of the room is a stone pedestal, with a bronze jug standing upon it.  The jug has the image of a monkey-headed winged serpent carved into it.  The jug is full of fresh water.

Characters attempting to walk through the mists will find that only one player can be present in the room beyond at a time; other characters will be stopped as if the mist was made of solid stone.  Should two characters attempt to enter simultaneously, roll randomly to see which character makes it through the mist.

Each room has a painted scene on the walls, floor, and ceiling, and large stone basin sticking out of the far wall, with a drain hole in the bottom.  Whatever plumbing connects to the drain hole, it must be running through the wall, as the drain hole does not exit on the underside of the basin.  Should a character pour water from the bronze jug into the basin, a magical effect will be triggered.  The mist colors, painted scenes, and magical effects are detailed below.

Once an effect has occurred, it will not be available for another year’s time.  Pouring anything less than a full jug of water will have no effect, nor will pouring water from a container other than the jug.

a. Red Mist: the mural here is of flames and burning coals.  Pouring the water down the basin will cause a small glowing ball of red-yellow firelight to fall onto the floor, next to the character.  If thrown, this ball will act as the fireball spell, doing 3d6 points of damage (and consuming itself in the process).  If not used within 24 hours, it will turn to a small ball of cold charcoal.

b. Orange Mist: the mural here is of a field of orange poppy flowers.  Pouring the water down the basin will cause the character to become intoxicated, and will have a -2 on all to hit rolls for the next 24 hours.

c. Yellow Mist: a scene depicting a costume ball, with the guests recoiling in horror from a figure dressed in rags, wearing a tattered white mask.  Pouring the water down the basin will cause the scene to animate, and the character will see a horrible crowned figure in yellow robes enter the room, before the walls fade entirely to whitewashed plaster.  Having seen the King in Yellow, the character permanently loses 1d3 points of wisdom.

d. White Mist: the room beyond is painted sky-blue, with fluffy clouds.  Pouring the water down the basin will cause the character to be able to fly, as per the magic-user spell, for the next 24 hours.

e. Black Mist: the walls, floor, and ceiling are painted black.  Pouring the water down the basin will cause the player’s pupils to expand, until they occupy the entire visible portion of the eyeball.  The character will now have wide-spectrum vision, such as dwarves and elves possess, for the next 24 hours.  If the character already has wide-spectrum vision, they are able to briefly see between space and time, and must save vs. magic or become comatose for the next 1d6 turns, as their mind cannot handle the sights revealed.

f. Green Mist: this room is painted in a jungle scene, with thick vegetation, and lianas and other vines painted on the ceiling overhead.  Pouring the water down the basin in this room will cause a monkey to leap out of the image overhead, and land on the character’s back.  The monkey has 4 hp, is AC 9, and will not let go of the character.  Any hits to it will split the damage between the character and the monkey.  It has no attacks.  The monkey will hoot and holler for the next 24 hours, making surprise impossible, and increasing the chance of wandering monster by 1.  After the 24 hour period expires, the monkey will fall to the floor, dead.

g. Blue Mist: the room is painted in an undersea scene, with fishes, octopuses, and coral reefs painted on the walls and ceiling.  Pouring the water down the basin in this room will cause the character to be able to breathe water for the next 24 hours.

h. Purple Mist: the room is painted with veins of purplish color, ranging from near-black to lavender.  Pouring the water down the basin will cause the veins to being to shift and move around the floor, walls, and ceiling of this room.  The tendrils will then reach up from the floor, and wrap themselves around the character.  The writhing bands of color will twist around him for the next 24 hours, giving him +2 to his armor class for the duration.

Shining Trapezohedron

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of the "special" rooms on the upper level will be dedicated to hints about what's deeper in the dungeon.  Here's a little bit of information about the Shining Trapezohedron.

164. Chief Research Assistant’s Office
This room still contains ancient steel furniture, quite rusty by now.  There is a desk, chair with tattered cushions, and a short cabinet.  On the stone wall next to the desk is a large white square (6’ wide by 4’ high), with several ancient inkless pens on a small shelf below it.

The desk and cabinet are empty.  However, the top cabinet draw has a false back, which will be found by anybody performing a careful search.  Behind the false back is a bundle of papers titled “Spectrum and Wavelength Analysis of Trapezohedron.”  The papers are in an unknown scientific jargon, and the party is unlikely to make heads or tails of it.

If a player is able to read and write, and rolls a 6 on a d6 (add the number of languages the player can speak as a bonus), then he understands that the paper discusses a shining black jewel the size of a man’s fist, somewhat in the shape of a trapezohedron.  The paper mentions that the angles of the jewel’s facets change depending on its orientation to the viewer, and that light reflecting from the jewel follows a discrete square wave rather than a continuous waveform.

The cult of Science in Denethix has the ability to decipher the papers if the players cannot, and would purchase them for 25 gp.

The Church of Starry Wisdom would also be greatly interested in these papers, as they refer to the Shining Trapezohedron, a jewel that can be used to communicate with their god.  If they find that the party has the papers, they would do anything, up to and including murder, to retrieve the papers and determine where they came from.

S is for Special

The Moldvay guidelines encourage a lot of "S" rooms on my map, which stands for Special.  And what is a special?  It's a weird encounter that isn't necessarily a trap, treasure, or monster, although it certainly could have those elements.  Dungeons are not "normal" environments, and trying to fill a megadungeon with things that make sense, makes for predictability, which makes for boredom.  Those "S" rooms are important.

Some of my "special" rooms are going to be deliberate reveals of information about the megadungeon.  These are to give players some goals.  Others are going to be ideas that I don't have fully fleshed out yet.  Player interactions will help determine the direction I take them.  Finally, some will just be plain weird and/or nonsensical.  The players can make of that what they will.  The only important guideline is that they should follow the level "theme" if it has one.  This is a grim-horror-themed level, so there won't be much whimsy here.

I've explained about the God's Eyes a bit in this post:  Orbital Gods.  I dropped a broken one into the gatehouse, that just whispered incomprehensibly and then was silent.  I think I'll drop in one that is in contact with a sinister entity.  This raises a few questions:  can this God's Eye contact other divine beings?  is the sinister entity a god, or a devil, or something else entirely?  can it be carted out of the dungeon?  This is one of my not-quite-fleshed-out-ideas, so I'll see what the players do with it, and what inspiration strikes during play.

118. God’s Eye
This God’s Eye is a large black metal circle, 10’ in diameter, with an intact imaging screen.  When the players first enter the room, the God’s Eye will be filled with the image of a giant, slit-pupiled eye, moving about, watching the party.  The pupil is black, and the rest of the eye is a deep purple.

Anyone touching the God’s Eye must save vs. magic or be forced to attack the party for 1d3 rounds.

On subsequent visits to this room, the God’s Eye will only show the slit-pupiled eye on a roll of 1-2 on a d6.  There is no ill effect from touching the God’s Eye while the slit-pupiled eye is not present.