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View Full Version : The Tower of Tymathial the Effigist [DUNGEON]



MattKatt
2008-02-25, 10:05 PM
I created this dungeon in a way so that if I wanted to, I or anyone else could run it with another group of players at a later date after its initial run. The information given here is designed for a party of level 1 characters, so increasing the difficulty is just a matter of advancing the creatures (like Mono), or multiplying some of them (like the Jesters). Because of this, there is no treasure listed here or exp rewards, that is up to you.

This dungeon is fun for both the players and the GM (though it can get a little annoying for your players who like to keep maps), as it has two maps. The reason for this is that Tymathial has created a spell that alters where the doors in the tower lead to. One moment they're in the first floor, the next they've moved to the second floor and are ascending the stairs to the fourth floor. Somewhere in the dungeon is a large switch that either activates or de-activates the spell. The first map is what the players will initially encounter, and the second is what they will get after turning the spell off.

All stairs are colour-coded for your convenience! (A blue stairs with an arrow pointing up leads to a blue stairs with an arrow pointing down, and so on)

Players Map:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/MattKatt/DungeonOfManyDoors_PlayersMap.png

Real Map:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/MattKatt/DungeonOfManyDoors_RealMap.png

General Description:

Tymathial is an old wizard, and a master at creating golems and constructs. Once he was a celebrated man, creating living puppets to put on shows for people, but in recent years he has become more secluded, receding into the tower he calls his home. Lately, no-one has heard from him, and now, the players must enter Tymathial's tower to discover what has become of him.

The ground floor of the tower is actually below ground, the players having to descend a shallow flight of steps to gain access to the entrance into Tymathial's home. Therefore, the first floor and basement of this dungeon are primarily stone and mortar with stone-tiled floors. The above floors are then constructed of magical wood that cannot burn, then mostly painted/wallpapered and carpeted. Every room in the dungeon has a yellowy glow, magically emanating from its centre, as if someone had placed a lamp with no shade in the centre of the room.

Room Descriptions:
In the following section, physical room descriptions are in regular text, while DM instructions are bold and in italics.
1; Entranceway (15x15)
A rather plain chamber, this room acts as the entranceway into Tymathial's tower. The floor of this room is covered in a thin layer of dust that seems undisturbed for may weeks. The door at the other end of the room looks wooden and sturdy, and strangely, unmoved.

2; Entrance Hall (35x25)
This large, ornately decorated entrance hall is obviously built to impress, lined from wall to wall with a fine red carpet. Paintings of Tymathial's ancestors line the walls, watching the adventurers with scowls and glares, and the ceiling, comprised of grey stone arches, is decorated with beautifully terrible magicks, mechanical golems rising from the ground, shaking their limbs clear before the imposing arcane casters. Two of the opposite three walls hold thick wooden doors, similar to the one you have entered through. On the fourth wall stands a huge iron door, covered with cogs, springs and other strange mechanica. In front of this door is a figure, watching you.
The large double doors lead to the vault and can only be opened if the players have KEY 1, KEY 2 and KEY 3.

Mono: A tall man in an iron helm stands before you. His body is covered in a black cloak, but he appears thin and lanky. A strange clicking sound can be heard echoing around the hall as he steps towards you, a sinister yellow glow emanating from where his eyes should be. He seems to be glaring at you as his speaks, his voice deep and seeming to reverberate from within a steel tube. “I assume the other one sent you to free his friend. Well you are too late. I have dealt with the creator, and now, I shall deal with you too!” The cloak he wears is thrown aside, revealing the glint of weapons. Four mechanical arms spread out from a thin, metallic body. The construct springs towards you, ready to attack!
If the players search Mono's body: They find KEY 3

3; The Vault (25x15)
A dim candle on a small table sheds little light in the room. From what you can see, the centre of the room is taken up by a large, ornate chair, upon which sits the figure of an old man. As you step into the room, you can plainly see a large, steel sword embedded within the man's chest, pinning him to the chair. A voice stirs from the shadows. “Yes, quite a shame that. And I had grown used to that body after 80 years.”. Suddenly, from the shadows steps a large mechanical body, similar to the giant you fought earlier, only this one holds a large, iron box in its hands.
Tymathial has completed his transformation. For the last few years, he has been researching the necromantic rituals of becoming a Lich, but he has been using his own knowledge of arcane constructs to turn himself into a Mechanical Lich. The iron box is now his phylactary, and when Mono killed him, his soul was transferred into it. Mono was going to be Tymathial's new body, but he made the mechanical brain too perfect and Mono gained sentience. Upon learning of Tymathial's plans, Mono killed him before he could finish. Now, Tymathial plans to create a new body after regaining control of his remaining creations.

4; Bathroom (25x15)
The walls, floor and celling of this room are covered in a white, reflective tiling that shines brightly and fills the room with a dull white glow. On one side of the room is a large, empty bath, simple in design with a silver faucet. On the other side is a porcelain bowl with a wooden seat, next to a taller bowl, again fitted with a silver faucet. The entire opposite wall is a huge mirror, reflecting everything in this room.

5; Gallery (55x15)
A long hallway stretches before you. The walls are green while the floor, though wooden, holds a long red carpet stretching from your feet to a door on the opposite wall. Along either side of the corridor stand large marble pillars, 5 feet apart, between which stand half a dozen suits of armour, all polished to a brilliant shine. Where there is no armour, there are paintings of knights and sorcerers doing battle with huge beasts and mighty dragons, all laden with golden frames.

As the players move down the corridor: As you make your way down the hall, you start hearing a faint clicking sound, followed by a whir of gears. Suddenly, two of the suits of armour at the far end start to walk forward towards each other from their places. They reach the centre of the carpet and turn to face you. All of a sudden, they draw their swords, and the Mechanical Knights attacks!

6; Kitchen (20x20)
A polished wooden work surface stretches along the wall to your left. Covered in pots, pans, dishes and dotted with one or two sinks. On the right are several large boxes, emanating a chilly aura. Along the back wall sits a huge cooking range complete with oven and grill. The entire room is covered with a thin layer of dust, as if it hasn't been used in some time.
The kitchen contains no food worth eating. The cooler boxes are empty and anything else has spoiled

7; Old Workroom (10x20)
The entire room is filled with mechanica of all descriptions. From small metal birds hanging from the celling, to the huge motorised giants sitting lifeless at either end of the room. A workbench stretches along the back wall, covered in dusty tools and parts. Cobwebs hang from every availably nook and cranny of the room, and the floor is covered in dried oil and dead spiders.
Tymathial's old workroom, now abandoned and forgotten. Nearly everything here is rusted and useless

8; Cracked Room (15x20)
The walls of this room are covered in deep scratches and slashes, and occasionally deep dents pocket and crack the wall. The floor is covered in dried oil and blood. On the other side of the room is a large, gaping hole 5 foot wide going from wall to wall, cutting off access to another door.
If the players investigate the hole: The chasm is dark and you cannot see the bottom (60ft deep hole)

9; Workshop (30x30 with a 15x15 cut-out in the north-east corner)
A modest room filled with weird and wonderful mechanical contraptions of all shapes and sizes! The entire room is filled with machines, tools, parts and plans. In the centre of the room stands a huge golem, build with thick limbs and a roundish body. His head is a blank sheet of metal twisted into the shape of a stone, and in one arm he holds a giant flail.
If the players investigate the giant: As you look closer, you see that the limbs of this creation are filled with a strange, spongy substance. As you investigate further, you find a small button under the left arm
If the players turn it on: Suddenly, the Mech Giant springs to life! The golem lets out a mechanical roar, grabs its flail in both hands and attacks!

10; Store Room (15x15)
This room contains hundreds and thousands of small parts, screws, nuts, bolts, dozens of spare tools and huge stacks of large parchment paper. A large metal barrel of oil stands in the back next to a strange device with a blade attached to it. Aside that, dozens of huge sheets of metal rest against the wall.
Upon a successful Use Device check, the machine activates and can be used to cut the sheets of metal into any 2D shape the user wants

11; Study (20x30)
A traditional study. One wall is completely taken up by a bookshelf, filled with tombs and volumes containing magical theory and mechanical know-how. A massive globe of the known world stands in the centre of the room, and towards the back sits a large, ornate wooden desk and matching chair. A book sits half-open on the desk, next to a small pot of ink and a quill
If the players investigate the book: The book seems to be a journal, written by Tim himself. He details his experiments into creating golems and magical machines, but his writings are disjointed and grammatically atrocious. Its hard to make any real seance of the book, though several times the word “Mono” and “Artificial Intelligence” appear, written with great care. Towards the end of the book, Tim seems to start referring to strange rituals and the pages are filled with weird symbols and extremely complex drawings
Upon a successful Knowledge (arcane) roll : Tim seems to be drawing references to rituals used in the creation of a Lich, but many of the necromantic factors are missing, and have been replaced with more of Tims questionable writing.
If the players search the desk: They find KEY 1

12; Master Bedroom (20x30)
This room is well furnished and cosy. A huge bed sits at one end of the room, surrounded partially by a thin red curtain. At the other end stands a polished wooden wardrobe and chest of draws. In the centre of the room stands 2 figures dressed in ridiculous jesters outfits, their heads crowned with three pointed jesters caps. As they turn to face you, you see they are both wearing white, long-nosed masks with huge, simple grins on their faces. Both figures wield sinister sickles in their hands. The Dark Jesters spring around and attack you!
If the players search the bodies of the Jesters: They find KEY 2

13; Spare Room (30x15)
This small room contains a small bed, simple night stand and an open, empty wardrobe. The bed is well made and undisturbed. The entire room is covered in a fine layer of dust.

14; Attic (10x30)
This room is filled with large crates and wooden boxes, stacked unceremoniously across the room.
Tymathial is quite eccentric, and enjoys dressing up his creations and giving them personae. Here he keeps his costumes and props for them.
If the players open a crate: You find this crate filled with clothes and robes of all descriptions. Some bright and colourful, some dull and plain.
If the players open another crate: This crate is full of props, masks, hats and other random costume jewellery

15; Switch Room (25x10)
This room is almost pitch black. The only light comes from a small green jewel ahead of you. The jewel seems to be attacked to a long copper pole sticking out of a long slit in the wall. Out of the shadows either side of the pole step two cloaked figures. Both are wearing jesters caps and masks similar to those you have fought before. They stare at you for a few moments before moving rapidly towards you!
The figures do not physically attack until hit, then: As your [weapon] slashes across the jesters body, you see its torso move upwards and you fell your weapon meet...nothing! The cloak flies off and you see before you...another mask! It seems that the figure you mistook for another dark jester was in fact two Mini Jesters standing on each other shoulders. The second figure throws its cloak aside to reveal two more. The four small beings look at each other, then turn back to you and attack!
When the players check the pole: The copper pole is topped with a small green jewel that emanates a bright glow. The rod itself is rooted somewhere deep within the slit in the wall.
If the players attempt to move the rod: The rod slides easily along the slit, until it stops on the other side. The jewel suddenly turns from bright green to red.
The dungeon has reset. Use “Real Map”

Areas of Note:
A:
This is the first area where the players may realise that something is going on in the tower. As can be seen from the numbering, both halves of this floor are exactly the same at each moment. This means that if the party where to open both doors either side of room 8 and have members standing outside each door, they would actually be right next to each other in the corridor. The door between both rooms does not actually lead to the adjacent room, but to the corridor that leads to room 13. The map here is drawn assuming the players enter the door from the left room. It would be rotated 180 degrees if they had entered from the right.

B:
This room and room 14 overlap on the map. That is, as far as the players are concerned, they exist in the exact same space. However, people in room 14 cannot see or interact with anyone in the landing, as they are, in fact, physically in different parts of the dungeon (compare to Real Map)

C:
I love this, the old “your the other side of the room” shtick. When someone walks through the north door, they re-enter the room via the south door and vice-versa. The same is true of the east and west doors. This room is also filled with a magical darkness that means all characters can only see 10 foot away from themselves in any direction. This means that if they simply look thought the east door, they wont get freaked out at looking at the back of their own head!

Of course, this is simply a way of deterring thieves, and not a fun way for the GM to mess with peoples heads...not at all.

Basement:
Once the spell has ended, players can return here to discovered Tymathials cache of artefacts and treasure in the four rooms now accessible. Feel free to put whatever you want in these rooms.

Enemies:

The enemies listed here can all easily be advanced using the usual creature advancement rules in the MM, and they are all described in the room where they are encountered (see Room Descriptions). Unless otherwise stated, they will all mindlessly attack the first threatening PC they see with whatever weapon they have.

Mechanical Knight: Medium Construct CR: 1
Hit Dice: 1d10+20 (25 hp) Initiative: +0 Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
AC: 16 (+5 Breastplate, +1 Light Steel Shield), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2 Attack: Longsword +2 melee (1d8+1 Slash) Crits 19-20/x2
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60ft, low-light vision
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 10, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 1, Cha 1 Saves: Fort +0, Ref +0, Will -5

Dark Jester: Medium Construct CR: 1
Hit Dice: 1d10+20 (25 hp) Initiative: +1 Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
AC: 15 (+1 Dex, +4 Natural), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2 Attack: Sickle +1 melee (1d6 Slash) Crits x2
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60ft, low-light vision, made of wood
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 1, Cha 1 Saves: Fort +0, Ref +1, Will -5

Mini Jester: Small Construct CR: 1
Hit Dice: 1d10+10 (15 hp) Initiative: +1 Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
AC: 14 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 Natural ), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-4 Attack: Dagger +0 melee (1d4 Pierce) Crits 19-20/x2
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60ft, low-light vision, made of wood
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 1, Cha 1 Saves: Fort +0, Ref +1, Will -5

Mech Giant: Large Construct CR: 3
Hit Dice: 3d10+30 (52 hp) Initiative: +0 Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft
AC: 14 (-1 size, +5 Natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+10
Attack: Flail, Heave +3 melee (1d10+4 Blud) Crits 19-20/x2 Slam +5 melee (1d8+4) Crits x2
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60ft, low-light vision
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 10, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 1, Cha 1 Saves: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -4

Mono: Medium Construct CR: 3
Hit Dice: 2d10+20 (31 hp) Initiative: +2 Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
AC: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 Breastplate), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+0
Attack: 4x Longsword +3/+3/+0/+0 melee (1d8+1) Crits 19-20/x2
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60ft, low-light vision
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 0, Int 12, Wis 1, Cha 1 Saves: Fort +1, Ref +2, Will -3
Attack: Mono gets 4 melee attack a turn, 2 at +3 and 2 at +0. Because of this, players do not get a flanking bonus unless there are more than 4 people in melee combat with him. Being an intelligent creature, he will attempt to avoid this situation as best he can.

Final Note:

Obviously, by posting this on the internet, many people will have access to it. Therefore, I don't recommend including this dungeon in any on-line game you run, either PbP or via messengers. Besides, its much more fun to be there when the players react to the odd room positions. If you do run it, feel free to PM me to inform me of how the game went and what the players reactions where. If people like this, then I may make more dungeons for people to use.

And lastly, Enjoy!

Krimm_Blackleaf
2008-02-25, 10:13 PM
Oh man, this is one of my favorite things. I've always been a big fan of maps that screw with locations, with doors that lead where they're not supposed to. I really think I'll be using this map at some point.
Not only that, but you've inspired me to make an entire dungeon adventure based on this premise. Good job.:smallbiggrin:

MattKatt
2008-02-26, 07:06 AM
Oh man, this is one of my favorite things. I've always been a big fan of maps that screw with locations, with doors that lead where they're not supposed to. I really think I'll be using this map at some point.
Not only that, but you've inspired me to make an entire dungeon adventure based on this premise. Good job.:smallbiggrin:

I'm glad I could inspire you. :)

The reason I posted this up is because Iv heared a few DM's mention that theyre not very good at thinking up dungeon designs. I felt that if I posted some of the ones Iv made up, then people can look at them and at least get some ideas for their own dungeon, especially if they dont want to use one someone else made.