Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Sewer Encounters


Sewer Encounters
Roll d20 – If party stays near surface use d10, medium level d6+10, lowest level d4+16

(1)
Blockage of a tunnel. Full of waste and other indescribable matter, the smell is awful. The blockage can be dug through (it is mostly soft) with shovels and time. If the party decides to dig, roll on wandering monster table.

(2) Graffiti on a wall, illuminated by a grating to the street above. If at dawn, the sun lines up and illuminates a few letters on the wall that is the secret password for (4).

(3) Young man in a pure white robe trapped on a small platform surrounded by filth and muck. He begs the party to carry him out or find a way out without getting dirty. He is effeminate and prissy, but truthfully he worships a God of Cleanliness and each speck of dirt that touches him stains his immortal soul.

If carried out and helped, the boy will be very grateful and bless the party with +1 for saves against sickness caused by the filth of the sewers.


(4) Dry part of the ancient sewer, small staircase leads to an iron door with a tiny sliding peephole. If the door is knocked upon it will open and a password will be requested- without it the party will not be let inside.

If the password is found and the party can enter they will find the sewer saloon. It's a tavern filled with all sorts of moderately peaceful monsters, human criminals on the run and even stranger beings. Strict no fighting unless-for-gambling rule enforced by an ogre bouncer. Serves a special brew of ale that gives +1 to saves against slimes and oozes. The food, drinks, and rooms are good.

This great service and atmosphere is all promised, but the party cannot just tell the password to anyone willy nilly and must promise to keep the place a secret.
The barkeeper has a magical mace painted with bright colors called
Shiner, deals double damage against beings with darkvision.

(5) Small nasty river of gross shit. 50% chance for a sewer slime to be in the pool, ready to jump at adventurers. Each time you get a slime, roll 50% chance for another slime or not. 

Sewer Slime (1HD+1, AC 8, Filth Lash x2 (d4) 10% chance on any attack to infect victim with fetid diease,which they come down with over a few days. Save vs disease to avoid) 

(6) You see four Layabouts along a wall, begging for money in this, apparently, high traffic area. If you give money to only one, they'll wait until you walk off for the other three to gang up on the one and take it. If you give money to none of them they will attack. 

Layabouts (1HD, AC 10, shivs (d4), have good nightvision, can crawl up walls and contort to small spaces, hurt by sunlight. Clerics of any sun or light-based God can also turn them)

If money is given to all of them or if pressed, the Layabouts will admit to being cursed; by fleeing into the sewers they had been changed and forced to stay down here for crimes they try to escape from on the surface.


(7) Rust monsters. They are dead. Bloodsoaked, resting man nearby looks up at party with a nod. “You're Welcome.” He has a strange facial tattoo and can be sensed with 'sense magic'. He doesn't understand or elaborate if questioned.

In truth, this man has been magically enchanted. Upon his death, all nearby dead creatures will return to life. This includes characters, but knowing this secret will be extremely difficult. He cannot be revived; his soul is shredded forever by the tattoo the moment he dies.


(8) Wooden platform leading across a open pit or slowly flowing part of the sewer system. 25% chance for a party member to fall down through a weak spot in the wood, roll once for each party member. Only 10% chance for smaller party members, 50% for bigger. Party members who fall will end up in (9) or (5).

(9) Huge watery pool. Collection pit for the sewer or a giant semi-clogged drain. Easy to get out of, but smells horrible. Something is swimming in the water (its Goblin Crocs), but they aren't aggressive unless molested.

Goblin Croc (2HD, AC 11, bite d6; special attack to drag; roll attack at -2, if it hits anyway the party member is dragged beneath the water and tries to drown them while their friends take bites)
Goblin crocs are ugly, lumpy looking crocodiles with squarish faces and ugly yellow teeth. They are smaller and weaker then normal crocodiles and seem to use swarm tactics; hence the name.

Deep in the water lies a secret underwater tunnel. 50% chance it dead ends, or it leads out of the sewer to a random place where the sewers empty outside. Either result; silver skull is found somewhere in the tunnel. The skull is made of pure silver and grants a free casting on any known divination spell, but is tarnished after use lowering its value somewhat.
 

(10) Woman lost in the sewer. She has a few copper and silver coins, and will offer them for safe passage to surface. Any party member who is a local or knowledgeable will have a 25% chance to know she is the daughter of a local crime boss, who is renowned for disappearing for days at a time when she's mad at her father.

If party refuses or she sees any monsters; she will quickly offer triple the original promised reward for safe return.


(11) Four skeletal mourners are down here, pantomiming weeping and sobbing and carrying a casket. If interrupted they will hit the party for two rounds of combat only as a warning, but will return to the coffin afterwards unless the party kills one of them or opens the casket, in which case they will fight to the death.

The coffin itself does not have a body but does have a small gemstone, scroll of
Control Skeletons, and a prayer book with diary entrees written in the margins.

(12) Tunnel Judgment. 8 Foot tall man holding two huge containers, one in each hand, judges anyone he sees. Has milk-white eyes and can see into the past, but only for events that happened in the sewers. Can make incredibly deductions based on appearance and sewer actions alone though; up to and including party member's social background and upbringing. Only mildly insane.

For good parties, 75% chance of the right-hand container. For evil parties, only 25% chance. For neutral, exactly 50%. The party's alignments should be factored together to get their general alignment drift, with neutral but good or evil leading modifying 50% figure + or -10% respectively.

The right container contains a mist that smells of fresh air and the top of a mountain. The party members get that damn sewer stench out of their nose and are immune to the gas at
(14). The left container for those judged unworthy Contains a Sewer Slime. The Judge himself has stats as Layabout but containers (d4), +1 AC, and 4HD.

(13) Sewer Goblins. All of them use scavenged weapons and armor, but have surprisingly good hygiene for living here, the females have long, brushed and cleaned air. Roll d6
  1. 4 Females currently scavenging for items in a pile of muck. They will take out their knives, but will run at the first sign of aggression to get their warriors.
  2. 2 warriors, guarding a post. Tell party not to get too close or try and past.
  3. Lone Goblin trying to tame a Goblin Crocodile. He's too busy focusing on the croc then to notice the party come in.
  4. Goblin tying a rope to a high spot to create a shortcut to the upper levels of the sewer. 50% chance to fall right onto the party, who could catch him if they wanted.
  5. Wizard Goblin levitating a piece of shit with magic, seemingly pleased with himself. Will launch it the party.
  6. Goblins moving to a new lair, the whole tribe together with all their possessions. Will chase away adventurers.
(14) Huge purple oysters are growing on the sides of this wet passage, seemingly open now because of low water level. If the Oysters are passed or touched, they will crack and release a bright purple gas. When this gas is inhaled it causes sever hallucinations in humanoids and makes them see things, party included unless they make a save.

This gas quickly spreads upwards through the sewer and makes the upper levels far more dangerous. The goblins will mostly kill each other but the gas also will effect all human NPCs above;
(3), (7), and (10) all become violent and psychotic once the gas is released. The tavern will remain normal but will have a howling madman at the gates, demanding to be let in and screaming the password over and over. He will attack anyone who comes close (stats as Bandit).

If a party member is knocked unconscious who is suffering from the gas or they drink/are forced to drink and extremely strong alcohol, they get an extra save against it each time to end the effect. Otherwise it may take up to 1d6 days for it to wear off. The Judge at
(12) can make people immune.

The meat inside the oysters however is delicious and a delicacy. Sold at market each oyster's meat will make about 1 GP each.
 

(15) Giant lumpy purple toad. Currently swallowing a struggling goblin that was drying to domesticate it. It also has a couple of brand-marks on its skin. The creature is not overly aggressive but hates goblins now and anyone humanoid who is short, possibly confusing them. 

Lumpy Purple Toad (HD 2, AC 12, bite d6; Doesn't have a tongue anymore (goblins cut it off) but instead spits gobs of sticky goo that stick party members to walls or the ground, making them unable to move and meaning the toad makes no attack rolls to hit them when stuck.

Within the frog's belly is a short copper rod used for branding by the goblins (worth full price as copper coin, pure copper) and the frog's skin is an alchemical reagent of middling value.
 

(16) 2d4 Rat cultists. They have transformed this small area of the sewer into a church and base of operations. They wear mouse-like masks make of driftwood and each of them has a mouse that sits upon their shoulder or lives in their pocket as a familiar. They can speak to the rat and ask it to do things for them, but if killed they will immediately scream out in pain as a part of their soul is rendered. The cultists are armed with knives. (stats as Bandits, but with d4 knives)

Rat cultists will not allow anyone into their territory without a good reason or unless they will convert. To their religion. Their church also lies on a crossroads between here and the deepest parts of the sewer (17-20; roll d4 if exploring there). Converting to their religion involves getting a rat bound with your soul as a companion.

The rat cultists, if fought, have at 1d4 holy guards with shortswords and medium armor (2 HD, d6, +2 to hit and AC) and 1 or 2 Clerics.

Clerics carry silver incense burners (and expensive incense), the pile of offerings to a rat-faced god equal 30 silver but has inflicts a curse to the person who takes it (the curse makes rats aggressive and want to bite the character whenever they lay down or try to sleep). Finally their leader, a wererat (can transform into 4 HD Wererat monster) carries a golden-leaf tome detailing the religion of rat worship.


(17) Deepest part of the sewer leads into the underdark and cavernous places beneath the world. Runoff tunnel into pure blackness. Roll on your favorite underworld encounter table, or just roll regular encounters.

On the floor here is a map to the whole sewer, scrawled in a Drow-like text. The drawn map is still useful even if you can't read the captions. Shows the locations of all static encounters.
(4), (8), (9), (14) and Rat Cultists at (16).

(18) Roll on rival adventuring table. One of them has been pinned under fallen debris and they will be weakened.

(19) Small maze like subsection of the sewer. Appears to be the sewer for a noble's mansion at one point the floor it littered with ancient treasures. Silverwear, copper braclets and bands, golden earrings, tapestries only barely stained by the musk. The area is guarded by Mush, 50% chance for a rival adventuring party to be here instead, demanding anyone else leave since they got here first. 

Mush (5 HD, 15 AC, corrosive spew x2 (d4), jagged maw d8, regenerates d4 hit points if it absorbs a nearby pool or pile of filth) 

The Mush is a creature that appears half solid and half liquid. It's got animal features like a maw, legs, and scaled body that seems to fade in and out of the goop it has connected to it. It is somehow a mixture of both. It tends to attack the cleanest party member first, or the one that is dealing the most damage to it. The mush is surrounded by a cloud of stinking, choking fumes that is impossible to avoid. Everyone who breathes it will contract a moderate to severe disease in 1d6 days. Killing the Mush is a feat and worth 1d6x100 bonus experience.

(20) Four Goblin leaders standing around a pile of treasure. As per goblin tradition; they split the treasure by simply putting it together and taking what they want, but if they are greedy the other 3 goblins beat them up. As such each slowly picks away at the pile until it has been split about evenly. The Goblins are focused on their task but will attack intruders. 

The goblins are all big (2 HD each). Two goblins are spellcasters, one is a crack shot with his War Crossbow (d8, +2 to hit) and one of them can whistle to summon his pet, a domesticated purple toad. (Stats as Lumpy Purple Toad, but +1 HD and +1 damage on bite)

Their pile of treasure includes;
  • 3d6 Silver pieces
  • 1d10 Gold pieces
  • 2d4 Pearls or lesser gemstones
  • 1d4 diamonds
  • Lady's broach, worth 2 GP
  • 1d4+1 Random Potions
  • Mush Call (magical item that summons Mush, but does not control him)
Wandering Monsters Table
Roll 1d4 on highest level, 1d6 on other levels.

[1] Fetch. (stats as Bandit but takes 50% less damage from physical attacks). Servant of the spirits of the subterranean world, fae in nature though appears as an unassuming human. Attacks anyone who casts spells or uses magic items, otherwise will ignore party. 

[2] Goblin seekers. (Two Goblins). Armed with darts and knives. Are not a challenge on their own but will alert a War party [6] to any adventurers down here if not killed first. 

[3] Mush Wraith. Spirit of a person killed by Mush, though party would not know that. (stats as Bandit but +1 AC and regenerates 1 HP if it embraces filth or pools of filth)

[4] Layabout Mugger. 1d4+1 appearing. (stats as Layabout, but d6 mace). Wants gold more then violence.

[5] Oyster Crazies. 1d3 appearing. (stats as Bandits, but d8 greataxe and immunity to mental magic. Gets +1 to hit and damage when below half HP) Insane people addicted to Oyster gases. They carry several rocks with the purple Oysters growing on them.

[6] Goblin Warband (3d6+1 Goblins). Party may surrender and taken back to their camp instead of being killed if they can't take them on. Goblins fall asleep at guard duty all the time, but the camp itself has even more goblins.

Rival Adventurer Table
Roll when prompted or as an alternative to wandering monsters; adventurers will not be immediately hostile but will claim any perceived sources of treasure. Roll d4

[1] Hazmea's Party. Hazmea is the leader, a necromancer of middling power. The others don't like her very much and may be convinced to betray her. 
Hazmea (3 HD Necromancer. Summons skeletons for fighting at 1 a round, but they fall apart after)
Juntur the warrior. +2 to hit, AC, and damage. Axe-wielding Mercenary. Most disrespectful to Hazmea and to women in general.
Metax Murutian (thief). Skilled with shortswords and shields though a scoundrel. Uses smoke bombs and bolas to get an upper hand. 
Gob the goblin. Goblin thief/specialist. Their guide to the tunnels, 50% chance to be planning on betraying them to the goblins down here. 
Harold the Invisible Zombie (stats as zombie). Not actually invisible, just 80% transparent. He will attack anyone Hazmea says and snacks on corpses. Will follow the first person to kill Hazmea from then on. 

[2] Twice born fanatics. These people have visions of a past life where they all knew each other. They are a religious order now believing themselves to be divine or demigods that reincarnate, but believe other people are inferior or only live once. They have since taken on symbolic names and are eager to become more powerful.
Revisionist (magic user) Defacto leader. Writes down dreams and visions in multiple diaries, one for each party member. Carefully edits any discrepancies between past life stories. Has a unique spell Remember (level 3 Illusion) that traps a victim in a memory for 1d4+1 rounds. Save for effect to only last one round. 
Defender (fighter) +1 HD and +2 AC. Use a big shield that he can point at anyone, granting +1 AC against their attacks only. Fights with d6 spear or arming sword. Can block attacks for his fellows, taking the damage instead of them. 
Ravager (fighter) Dervish that has +2 AC towards whoever he is attacking with his duel swords. Somewhat suicidal, since he believes he will just reincarnate anyway. Loves Widow passionately.
Widow (cleric) Cleric that worships herself and her fellows. Still somehow has cleric powers. She has a Cleric spell named Obliterate Memory that makes target forget the events of the entire day; stunning them for 1 round and making them lose -1d6x10 experience points. 
Devotress (cleric/druid) Nature focused of the group, speaks to trees and stones to see if they know anything of their past lives. Uses Magic Stone and a sling. Secretly believes herself to be the god among the group, but has no proof.

[3] Senior adventurers. All of them are old and gray, delving into dungeons to get money for their children and grandchildren, since they don't believe they'll live much longer anyway.
Utam the fighter. +1 HD. Full soldier's gear from a past war. Cynical and pragmatic, but has a soft spot for children. Leader of the group. 
Tulian Chaser (fighter) Used to be a runner and standard bearer for an army and won't shut up about it. Most of his speed is gone, but may do two attacks or actions a round once per day.
Patricia (magic user) Helpful witch who mostly only knew and used hedge magic and potions her adult life. Still getting used to these destructive combat spells and she generally doesn't like them. 
Melii the Saint (cleric) Moderately famous wisewoman of a local religion. Hides the fact that her cleric powers and divination has been fading in the last few years, still spry though.

[4] Retainer's Crew. Loose moral mercenaries made up of several beast races. If they are not welcomed in this area then they are in hiding, else they are adventuring and doing dirty work for nobles and the rich. 
Galvin Retainer (cleric) Ruthless but religious. Believes in a God that essentially stresses morality as secondary to civilizing the more primitive races and peoples, outspoken racist to all but his party.
Chopper (Fighter) Gnoll that has had ALL of his fur shaved off so he can go around in the sewers with less difficulty. Looks absolutely ghoulish and EXTREMELY angry about it. +2 to damage, but -1 AC when charging in.
Bluesnout (Fighter) Orc with a pronounced nose and gold nosering. Fights with falchion and hide shield. Carries several useful supplies like ropes and torches. Doesn't say much. Known Rapist.
 Meser & Easer (Thieves) Goblin twins. They are seemingly separate individuals and argue constantly but are magically linked in some way. They can see out of each other's eyes; but if one dies the other will die too. 
Orthius (Magic user) Satyr from a far away place, believes most of his party to be below him in status. Can cast druidic spells along with regular magic user spells and can speak to goats. Has 1d4 goats with him carrying most of their party's stuff, who are surprisingly at home in a sewer.

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