and Continued:
30 Days of Dungeons and Dragons.
That’s right, 30 separate entries all about dungeons and dragons and bringing you new 4th edition content. So without further ado, here is Day 3.
The Summoning Chamber
Description:
Standing out from the surrounding stonework, you see a chamber and pool infront of you. It looks like 5 stonework ‘dragonhead’ spouts pour water into a shallow basin that upon closer inspection appears to be full of coin, like a wishing well! Inside the room an invisible naga preistess waits to capture the adventures in glory to her dark goddess, Tiamat.
Setup:
The Pc’s during the investigation of a dungeon or ruin come across a summoning chamber that is still in use…
Level:
10-12 but easily modified for others (change the Dc’s and monster level as appropiate)
Complexity and Experience:
The Skill Challenge itself is complexity 3 which means the party needs 8 successes before 3 failures. however the presence of Monsters makes this a complete encounter worth 2500 Xp plus 125 per minion slayed.
Primary Skills:
Arcane, Thievery, Religion,
Arcane (Moderate DCs, DC 16): Anyone trained in arcane may make a check upon entering the room to notice the swell of arcane magic here. Addittional Checks will reveal the importance of the hydra heads in the stonework, and a third and extra checks will disable one of the heads.
Thievery (Moderate DCs, DC 16): Anyone trained in thievery may make a check upon entering the room to notice that this is likely a trap, and may choose not to /warn others against entering. The Second Check will reveal that the trap is magical in nature and that the hydra heads in the stonework are likely areas of concentration of the magic, and third and extra checks will disable one of the heads.
Religion (Moderate DCs, DC16): Anyone trained in Religion may make a check upon entering the room to notice the ornate stonework and hydra heads in this room. These hydra heads are the representation of the 5headed dragon god of avarice and ill will, Tiamat! Second and other Religion checks will reveal a prayer to Bahamut hidden in the stonework which works to end the trap.
Perception (Hard DCs, DC 21): Reveals that this room is likely a trap, a second check reveals the presence of a hidden or invisible creature and that the treasure looks tantalizingly real. No further success are possible with Perception.
Insight (Hard DCs, DC21): You have a bad feeling about this, maybe its a trap.
Thievery or Strength Checks using Hard DCs, (DC 21) anyone may attempt to force open the doors, any successes at this , force open a door, but do not count towards completing the encounter.
The Catch:
Once the naga priestess, who lurkes invisibly at the begining of the encounter draws in the adventuring party, or as many as she thinks she can fool/handle into the pool room, she seals the room using her magic and activates the summoning portals. On the following rounds, she attacks with her magic as elemental minions from the elemental chaos begin to pour into the room. Once the naga attacks she is visible.
Naga Preistess
Level 10 Elite Artillery
Humanoid (Naga)
Initiative 10, Xp 1000 (Already considered in the room xp)
Hp, 168 Bloodied 84
Ac 22, Fort 24, Ref 25, Will 24
Naga Claws (Standard; At-will) Melee
+17 vs Ac. 1d8+5 damage
Tiamat’s Scourge (Standard; Recharge 5,6) Fire, Acid, Cold, Necrotic, Lightning
+15 vs Reflex 4d8+5 and ongoing 5 Damage of one type of Acid, Fire, Cold, Necrotic, or Lightning.
The Summons:
The round after the Naga Priestess activates the summons, 4/5 heads belch out a small creature from the elemental chaos which attacks the party and aids the naga.4 of these creatures will spawn every round until either the naga is slain or the skill challenge completed.
Summoned Creature
Level 10 Minion
Initiative 5 Xp 125 (not accounted for in the total xp)
Hp 1; missed attacks never damage a minion
Ac 24, Fort 23, Ref 18, Will 18
Elenental Claws Standard;at-will
+15 vs Ac 6 Damage of one type , choosen from Acid, Lightning, Fire, Cold
Success:
If the trap is defused before the naga is defeated, she will surrender and plead for her life. She knows the location of other nagas or Tiamat cultists or perhaps even Draconic Treasure troves that may interest the pcs.
If the naga is defeated before the trap is defused, the summoning will stop and any minion left will disappear back to their home plane. the fountain does contain a substantial amount of coin and magical items, a treasure parcel or two may be appropriate here.
Failure:
The creatures will continue fighting until defeated. If the pcs attempt to flee, they will attack anyone still left in the room. The Naga and the creatures will not leave the summoning chamber, the naga knows it is much harder to defeat her here, and the summons cannot leave. Abandoned or Unconscious adventurers find themselves at the Naga’s Mercy which is up to the gamemaster.
If the party fails the skill challenge before the naga are defeated, the naga and all the summons gain +2 to hit, and the summoning continues until either the adventurers are dead or the party flees
