The Labyrinth: Level 1

27 Mar, 2024

For context, see: https://macropterus.bearblog.dev/the-labyrinth/

(Map made in Gridmapper: https://campaignwiki.org/gridmapper.svg)

Level 1

[Note: The upper left quadrant is the starting town. To be developed in detail at a later date.]

Rooms:

1. Entry Hall - littered with broken arrows and old blood stains.
2. A shattered skull and a smudged, red brown pentagram. Puddles of candle wax.
3. An intact human skull in a red pentagram. Candles light as the room is entered. Impish laughter echoes.
   • The skull explodes for 2d6 damage (save vs. spells) if touched. The imp laughs uproariously and becomes visible.
   • Inside the skull is a bloodstone (40 gp).
4. A pit of bones, old victims of the imp in 3.
5. Esoteric runes carved in concentric circles.
   • Read magic reveals teleportation magic, this ring’s passcode being “Sol.”
   • Dallying here or messing with the circle has a 2:6 chance of summoning a Nightmare.
6. Eastern doors carved with an Α (north) and Ω (south). Bones litter the floor. A plaque between reads “Am I the beginning or the end?”
   • If one door is opened, the other disappears forever.
7. A wood golem, carved as a caricature of a priest, attacks all with a golden thurible (150 gp).
8. Each wall is painted with an imposing faced sun. They all stare at a pedestal in the center of the room, on which rests three potions and a jeweled goblet (600 gp).
   • Those who take the treasure must save vs. spells or be covered in sunburn (1 nonlethal damage, -1 to hit for 3 days).
   • Potions are Healing, Control Dragon, Gaseous Form
9. A carved face of medusa in high relief at the end of the hallway. One eye is stone, the other is a large topaz (500 gp).
   • Removing the gem reveals a very real eye underneath, which petrifies.
10. Secret floor hatch to town.
11. Grotesque, asymmetrical demon faces are painted in greens and blues all over the walls. Whispering in tongues echoes from no source.
    • For every turn spent here, a random caster must save vs. spells or lose a random 1st level spell.
12. Dry bones with a rusted, broken sword. Carved crudely in the wall is “No hope No hope No hope…” etc.
13. Three statues of six winged angels, wielding harps and flaming swords. The northern is defaced with blood and feces, and wings broken off.
    • Cleaning the statue and affixing the wings (which fuse back on) will cause the statue to disappear, revealing the northern hall. All are blessed (as per spell).
14. This bridge is visibly cracked, and for every crosser has a 2:6 chance of breaking.
15. Sarcophagus with gisant of knight. A ghostly knight appears and challenges one of the party to a duel. (4 HD, Longsword, shield + plate)
    • Use cavegirl dueling rules: https://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2018/06/duels-in-osr.html
    • Interlopers are marked forever on the forehead as “Moste Dishonourable Lout”.
    • Inside is the Sword of Saint Brecht (+1/+3 vs. Demons, glows green in their presence, the wielder cannot tell a lie, Ego 4, Lawful) and a golden crucifix (150 gp)
16. A dinghy, 50’ of rope, and a lockbox of 300 gp. On the wall in charcoal is written “Don’t let the bastards find us. -Peter”
17. Four grotesques are posted around the bridge. In the mouth of one, covered in grime, is a platinum coin.
18. Hundreds of extra flagstones (2.5’ square, 4” thick) are stacked up around the perimeter of the room.
19. A wooden door with rusted iron bands and a pull ring.
    • Pulling open the door opens the pit trap below, 10’ deep and empty except for a gilt helmet (100 gp).
20. Each T is a scythe trap (2:6 to trigger pressure plate, +3 to hit, d6 damage).
    • Past the Secret trap is a chest with 300 sp, Moss agate (10 gp), 2 citrines (50 gp each), jet (100 gp), Peridot (500 gp).
21. Piles of Bones lie around a blood-stained room.
    • Four animate once the party fully enters the room. They wield rusty swords.
    • Pushing in a false brick on the south wall opens the secret door.
22. Two imps watch through arrow slits, hoping that traps and skeletons will finish off any foolish humans. In the northwest corner is a bloody pile of hair and coins (200 sp, 20 gp). They hold the key to the locked door in 21.
23. Old bloodstains and broken bones. Three 10’ poles, carved into spikes, lean in the corner.
24. Five enchanted spears float like a guard patrol around the columns. Manacled skeletons hang from columns. A mosaic on the floor depicts The Enchanter, a cowled man with glasses, weaving dweomers on a pile of weapons.
    • A number on three of the four pillars: 3 7 4
25. A statue of St. Mildred stands over many offerings
    • 200 gp
    • Gilt box of incense (500 gp)
    • Scroll of Detect Evil
    • St. Mildred wears a gold-thread and pearl studded frock (1000 gp).
    • The pit traps are 10’ deep, the north one contains a ghoul.
26. A massive, scabrous rat lives here in filth ( 3HD, 2x d6 bite, AC leather + shield).
    • In a bucket in the corner are 52 rusted keys. Keys to each of the nearby locked doors are mixed within.
27. Skeletons manacled to walls. Remains of a fire, in which pokers rest. A two person saw is mounted on the wall by a skeleton hanging upside down with a sawn-through pelvis.
28. A ghostly figure offers to teleport the party north, across the river, to 40, promising “great treasures… yes, so great…”
29. Eight white deer hunch over, eating the entrails of a dead orc.
    • In the orcs pouch are 2 pearls (100 gp each) purloined from the orc master.
30. The floor gently slopes downwards towards the canal. In orcish on the walls is painted in old, dried blood (“We rule these halls, foolish humans. We will eat your flesh tonight!”)
31. A stool, a bucket, and a fishing rod wait by the canal. (1:6 chance per turn to get a catch, then roll 3d6 under DEX).
32. Bas-relief of angels directing laborers to construct a labyrinth, in the center of which is a pit to hell with screaming demons.
    • Secret door is opened by pressing on the mouth of a yawning demon.
33. A simple balcony with a moldy reclining couch. A skeleton still reclines upon it. A 4’ tall mirror leans against the north wall.
    • A face appears in the mirror if looked into, which speaks: “Wax but no candle, face but no head” (the moon). The correct answer turns the mirror to solid silver (500 gp).
34. Walls are painted with pained faces, life size, eye-level. Each has a roman numeral on their forehead, I to XVI.
    • The eyes of XIII are enchanted to shoot poisoned darts (+2 to hit, d2 damage) if passed by. The eye of IX is a switch to open a secret door. Inside is a cache containing:
    • Scroll of Infravision
    • An illuminated holy book (100 gp)
    • A chest of 1500 silver coins
    • 2 x Gold candelabra (150 gp), gilt holy book (100 gp), gold smooth torus ioun stone (#328 in Quann'ra-tioll Moorchlyne's Most Excellent Compilation of all the Realms Unknown Ioun Stones).
35. A large stone face with empty eye sockets and a lolling tongue is carved into the wall. Shattered statuary of humans lies on the floor. Carved above it is “Givest me some precious food.”
    • Anything other than gems are spat out. The eyes shine a light like the gem’s color, and the person in the light gets an effect based off the gem value: <100gp: +1 hp; 100-500 hp: Blessing; 500+ weapon gains +1, and face recedes into the wall forever; Offensive offering: save vs. spells or turned to stone.
36. North wall is painted in fading orange and green checkerboard. Each face has a roman numeral, up to 1,000. Each can be pressed.
    • 69 - presser loses d6 INT
    • 374 - opens left secret door
    • 404 - presser disappears forever
    • 420 - smoke seeps out from panel. Save vs. poison or fall asleep.
    • 666 - Summon hell hound
    • 702 - Opens right secret door
    • 777 - 1000 gold coins (painted copper) fall from the ceiling, 2d4 x 100 of them fall in the water.
    • Right secret door Releases a mummy bearing a jade necklace (700 gp) and a jeweled crown (1000 gp). In the corner is a potion of healing.
    • Left secret door hides an inanimate mummified elf wearing an elven cloak and boots.
37. A dark creeper works, slowly etching a complicated summoning circle into the center of the floor. He carries 30 ep.
    • If left to its own devices, there will eventually be a type I demon trapped in the circle.
38. Statue of a priestess holding forth a crucifix. Scorch marks on the floor in front of her.
    • Praying before it will cast either Protection from evil for Lawful Good, or will douse any evil character in burning oil. Otherwise, nothing happens.
39. One orc mans the drawbridge, which is usually pulled closed.
    • The bridge can be lowered easily, but needs an open doors check to pull the bridge up quickly.
40. 8 orcs, 1 ogre, 1 orc master wait in the throne room, decorated with skulls, axes and shields.
    • Orc master (8 HP) bears the key to 44, wears the Iron crown of the Orc Master, has a Mace of Elf Killing, and wears a ruby necklace worth 1500 gp.
    • A hidden button underneath one arm of the throne opens a secret compartment in the seat, containing the cloak of Orc-kind.
41. Orc barracks. Six orc dice and can be persuaded to gamble instead of fight (Loser gets eaten).
42. Guardpost. 2 Orcs are skinning a dwarf alive instead of watching the door.
    • The dwarf’s bag holds a 500 gp deep blue spinel wrapped in a ball of stinking socks and loin cloths.
43. The orc boss flogs three disobedient orcs with a spiked paddle (Club + 1, brandishing it forces all orcs to make a morale check.)
44. Locked vault, trapped with poison needle if picked. Leads to the orcs treasure pit.
    • 3,000gp
    • Amethyst amulet (1100gp)
    • Plate mail + 1
    • Shield + 1
    • Potion of Speed

Monsters:

Enchanted Spear (HD ½, AC chain, 1xd6 stab, MV 90’, ML 12) - Cheap creations of The Enchanter. They act as guards, and, despite floating, can only do things that they could do if carried by a normal guard.

White Deer (HD 1+1, AC leather, 1xd6 butt or kick, MV 150’, ML 6) - Blood drinking deer, often hunted for their meat. They kill with kicks and butts and then slowly suck out the blood through the neck once safe.

Imp (HD 2, AC chain, 1xd3 bite with poison, MV 60’/180’, ML 7) - Small red humanoids with bat wings, but often take the form of cats and birds (1-3: cat, 4-5: bird, 6: imp). As imps, they only surprise 1 in 6 as they are prone to giggling. Usually they prefer to lead adventurers downwards, to traps and treasure, ideally to trapped treasure (they can’t help themselves).

Ceiling Rat (HD ½, AC unarmored, 1xd1 acid spit, MV 60’, ML 5) - Small albino rats who walk along the ceiling (gravity is reversed for them). They spit a weak acid that will ruin either shield or armor after dealing 5 total hit points. They generally require missiles or reach weapons to hit. A dozen rat skins could be fashioned into a boot, a pair of which would let the wearer walk on ceilings.

Orc (As orc) - Pig faced, bristle-haired humans who learned to love the darkness of the dungeon and to partake in human (and orc) flesh. Tend to capture adventurers and, after examination, kill any non humans and humans with Wisdom < Strength. The remaining are force fed human flesh to join their horde.

Ogre (as ogre) - The ogre carries a huge club and a bloody sack full of 1000 gp (and maybe a replacement PC).

Magic Items:

Cloak of Orc Kind - Grants infravision, an aversion to sunlight, and the ability to safely consume raw meat. Only useable by chaotic characters.

Iron Crown of the Orc Master - Iron crown of messily fused nails. All orcs must make a morale check or be cowed into subservience (but not loyalty; brief is the reign of the orc master) upon sight of the wearer.

Mace of Elf Killing - +1/+3 vs. Elves. Slaying an elf grants an additional 100 x HD experience.