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Go to Underneath Candlemere.
see next post for key
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It takes a DC 27 perception roll to notice the switch that opens the floor and a staircase leading down to A1.
Every time the players enter a new circle they must pass a DC 12 will save vs fear each circle that leads them closer to A5 add +2 to the DC of the save. Any failing result has the character fleeing at all possible speed out of the candlemere hex entirely, laughter follows and the words "those weak of will are unworthy to stare into the abyss."
A1: Stairs leading back up to candlemere tower, 3 doors, when entering a hooded apparition appears and says in common choose a path right left or center. He remains where he is until the PCs open a door, when they do he says the path has been chosen and cannot be revoked, he then disappears and a will-o-wisp appears and follows the PCs providing light. If attacked it does nothing to defend itself and provides no XP.
If the PCs try to open another door they find it arcane locked DC40 to dispell and the will-o-wisp will suddenly have 2 buddies that all attack.
The left handed path (path of the devil):
H1: The floors are inlaid with copper and silver in various arcane symbols a DC 25 spellcraft check reveals that the arcane symbols are conjuration school and necromancy. Arcane knowledge check DC 28 will reveal that any spell cast using those two schools while within the dungeon are treated as 2 caster levels higher. Arcane knowledge check DC 31 reveals any monster summons (expect eldions) have a 25% chance to turn on the caster.
A2: Within the circular room is a summoning circle which dominates (75%) of the room. Standing at it's center is a Succubuscalling herself Cherry (not her real name)she offers her profane gift and the background information on the keep to anyone willing to free her by destroying the summoning circle that has her trapped. The player's should carefully negotiate here because she will haunt them if they do not specify she cannot hang around (nice DMs may wish to give this hint with a successful dc 20 knowledge planes check she is bound to any agreement made while in the circle.) if the pcs cross the threshold of the circle before negotiating she will instead attack using her abilities trying to force a pc under her spell to do as she desires.
H5: If one of the PCs has the profane gift and Cherry has been instructed to return to her plane the apparition reappears and says "there is wisdom in your corrupt choice pass in peace."
If a PC has the profane gift but didn't set smarter terms the apparition appears and says "Your choice will have a price."
IF the PCs have just destroyed the Succubus the apparition appears and says, "You have made an enemy today,but perhaps you are powerful enough to not care, tread carefully."
If the PC's didn't free her but went around the apparition teleports them back into the room and says "only cowards make no choices, you shall not pass until a choice is made."
A3: For every 2 members of the party (animal companions and eldions count familiars do not) a brimorak appears and does battle, the demon doesn't suffer summoning sickness no surprise rounds on either side. (The far door is arcane locked DC 40)
H9: The apparition reappears and says "you passed the test of battle, only the strong shall proceed."
A4: 3 5th level devil bound clerics (CR 8 for all 3,add 1 for every 2 members past 4) here to fight they are cultists of Yog-Soth.
Use stats for Malgorzata Niska but add +2 profane bonus to AC, and Kyton abilities:
Animate Rope or Chain (Su): At will, a Kyton-bound creature can animate a rope or chain of any thickness as if with the animate rope spell (caster level equals Kyton-bound creature’s character level). The Kyton bound creature can also cause any lock or manacle attached to a chain to lock or open when using this ability.
Unnerving Gaze (Su): A Kyton-bound creature can make its face resemble one of an opponent’s departed loved ones or bitter enemies. At will as a standard action, the Kyton-bound creature can target a single opponent within 30 feet with its unnerving gaze. The target must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 devil-bound creature’s character level + devil-bound creature’s Cha modifier) or take a –2 penalty on attack rolls for 1d3 rounds.
H13: The apparition appears once more: "You have completed the Devil's path, prepare to be anointed."
A5: To be continued
The Central Path (path of the undead):
H2: 1 cairn wight per pc entering awaits, they all have longsword +1's which shatter (dealing 1d8+1 damage to a 10' radius) when they are destroyed. If they are commanded per command undead they instead of falling under thrall explode doing 3D6+3 damage.
once defeated the apparition appears and says either "you have chosen wisely proceed forth" or if the PC's got their butts handed to them "you have chosen unwisely but you may chose again if you defeat the proper champion ahead."
H7 and H8: On either side of the hallway stands a guardian to the other path both are fast zombie creature that stand down the hall and do not move unless PC's step into that hall (add undead immunities otherwise unchanged from link provided.)
H7 has a fast zombie babau demon
H8 has a fast zombie bearded devil
A6: If the part proceeds to A6 they are in for a fight with 1/per party member skeletal mages
H11: The apparition appears once more: "You have completed the Undead path, prepare to be anointed."
A5: saving it for the last post mwahaha
The Right handed Path (Path of Demons):
H3: The floors are inlaid with copper and silver in various arcane symbols a DC 25 spellcraft check reveals that the arcane symbols are conjuration school and necromancy. Arcane knowledge check DC 28 will reveal that any spell cast using those two schools while within the dungeon are treated as 2 caster levels higher. Arcane knowledge check DC 31 reveals any monster summons (expect eldions) have a 25% chance to turn on the caster.
A9: Within the circular room is a summoning circle which dominates (75%) of the room. Standing at it's center is a incubus wearing glasses and reading a book. He introduces himself as Chauncy and while you are outside the circle he will civilly engage in conversation hoping desperately you would be so kind as to free him. If you Do so he will offer up his glasses as reward (as long as you are careful to word the terms of his release to not attacking the party) His glasses are permanently enspelled with a read magic spell and grant a +8 to any linguistic check for the written word. If you cross the barrier or fail to word things carefully (or you can just cast protection from evil he will attack with the intention to slay.
H4: If one of the PCs has the glasses and Chauncy has been instructed to return to her plane the apparition reappears and says "there is wisdom in your corrupt choice pass in peace."
If a PC has the glasses but didn't set smarter terms the apparition appears and says "Your choice was foolish", Chauncy will now teleport in and attack roll surprise.
IF the PCs have just destroyed the
incubus the apparition appears and says, "You have made a less than ideal choice, tread carefully with care."
If the PC's didn't free the demon but went around the apparition teleports them back into the room and says "only cowards make no choices, you shall not pass until a choice is made."
A8: 5 whiptails appear per member of the party, Should be a decent fight.
H10: The apparition reappears and says "you passed the test of battle, only the strong shall proceed."
A7: Demon possessed barbarian
Use Amiri's 4th level stat block from the back of RRR but add +6 strength +$ con, scent, and SLAs:
Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—web, magic circle against good, poison. Caster level equals bebelith-possessed creature’s character level. The save DCs are Charisma based (4th caster level -1 for cha).
H12: The apparition appears once more: "You have completed the Demon's path, prepare to be anointed."
A5: yep making you wait until tomorrow's post to conclude...
Background of Candlemere Tower:
The tower was once part of a renegade city of cultist dedicated to bringing forth Yog-Sothoth. The cult was banished from Osirion around -2000AR and consisted of some very powerful divine and arcane spellcasters. Candlemere was a centerpiece of their efforts and its aura of unnatural fear stems from its tenuous connection to the Dark Tapestry.
While ultimately the cultists failed in their ambition and were rewarded for their failed effort by mass insanity they persisted for another 1,000 years until the shadow of their former glory was wiped from the face of Golarion by the same tribe of barbarians that built the lonely barrow centuries later.
The dungeon below the tower is of a spherical design that emulates the "congeries of iridescent spheres" that make up the dark god's supposed form. The designs and materials used and their underlying power will make those bonded with the power of the tower more powerful when using necromantic and conjuration magics.
The role of the dungeon in the days the cult reigned over the island was a test of mettle, power, and resolve for initiates deemed worthy to bond with the tower. The tower itself unlike the long forgotten city is also sentient.
The tower is sentient and has laid dormant for nearly 5,000 years until approximately 100 years ago when a troll rogue happened to stumble on the dungeon and succeed in the Undead path at the center. The unsuspecting troll awakened the tower, and aside from the alien and hungry intelligence of the will-o-wisps that feed off of the aura provided, been the tower's sole company.
Needless to say the dimwitted troll was poor company, so the tower used its summoning power to give the troll a demonic rider to converse with, however with the demon inside the Troll-Demon wished to leave and the Tower decided it needed to better control it's sole company so it bound the demon and infected the troll with Ju-Ju Zombie spores. MAking the troll partly undead allows the Tower to keep it in it's vault and this is the mess the adventurers are about to get into in A5!
A5: Conclusion
Troll CR 5+1 jujuzombie template +2 vrok possessed = CR 8
XP 1,600
CE Large humanoid (giant)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
DEFENSE DR10/cold iron, fire resistance DR 10, immune to cold, electricity, and magic missile
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 17; (+4 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
hp 78 (6d8+61); regeneration 5 (acid or fire)
Fort +11, Ref +4, Will +3
Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +12 (1d8+9+1d6 if target good aligned), 2 claws +12 (1d6+9+1d6 if target good aligned)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks rend (2 claws, 1d6+12)
STATISTICS
Str 29, Dex 18, Con 27, Int 6, Wis 9, Cha 6
Base Atk +4; CMB +10; CMD 22
Feats Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Perception), improve initiative, toughness
Skills Intimidate +9, Perception +8, climb +15
Languages Giant
Spell-Like Abilities: 2/ day—mirror image; 1/day—heroism. Caster level equals vrock-possessed creature’s character level (6th).
Tactics: cast mirror image 1st round then wade in counting on immunities resistances and regeneration to keep you up try to get full attacks in and the awesome rend. Target good aligned before neutral, spell casters aren't a threat!
The Good news for PCs is that the troll cannot pass the inner circle (75% of the room)even to reach out. So if they are wise they will whittle him down heavily before trying to close and finish him off. Furthermore the tower itself senses that it might get better conversation out of the PCs which it is desperate for and might be inclined to help by revealing a secret door at the back of the room which has some loot that might come in handy here.
To Do: treasury and post dungeon implications
I like the overall idea, but the execution makes no sense. Where is the Yog-Sothoth theme? Why are there demons (succubus, brimorak) on the devil path? Why are there demons and devils on the undead path? Why are there devils on the demon path?
For that matter, why are there devils and demons here at all? The denizens of the Dark Tapestry are chaos/madness creatures. CN, maybe CE for the deliberately malicious ones. But many are native to this plane - they're often aberrations, not outsiders.
Undead are reasonable to find anywhere, because there's so many thematic ways to create them - evil magic, the twisting of reality, the ghost's own will, etc. But the typical outsiders have no place in Candlemere, especially not one that's supposed to be Yog-Sothoth themed. If anything, you'd want to use Proteans, but I'm not sure if they're the best choice either.
Fair enough complaint, but there is more to come- I'm going for this being an option dungeon in Rivers Run Red which limits some of what I can do here. As to Devils, Demons, and Undead this is more representative of the wizards that worshiped Yog-Sothoth rather than Yog-Sothoth himself. The dungeon itself is an altered map of the second image in this wikipedia link Yog-Sothoth .
The dark intelligence and the power it offers will have a more Lovercraftian theme so bear with me. This has been allot of work!
Treasury:
There is a small alcove (sorry not on the map) hidden in the back (DC30 perception to spot) in the back of A5 that contains the following items:
Staff of Acid (5charges)
Efficient Quiver filled with 60 MW cold iron arrows
Bag of holding type 1
This should provide enough juice to take out the troll if the party is truly failing.
After the fight
As previously mentioned the tower is a sentient powerful artifact and its bored. It was created to be the center of ritual magic, specifically to summon forth Yog-Sothoth, and its willing play play a long term game to bring about that result.
The tower wishes for the PCs to build a city on the island, trusting that while the PCs themselves may not be corrupt, over time the artifact can exert a level of influence of those raised around it to ultimately regain its lost place and purpose in the world.
The tower will communicate using an illusion (DC32) of the same apparition that has guided and commented on the PCs journey thus far. IT will convey an offer to raise the bones of the old city (sunk beneath the earth) if the PCs promise to rebuild a city on Candlemere, it will also offer to turn off its fear aura.
If the PCs except this offer treat all hexes around the candlemere hex as suffering a disaster per the events table as a localized earthquake is the result.
-IF the PCs accept, the tower will offer more power in the form of 4 mantles of power that create a true bond with the tower itself.
-IF the PCs refuse, the offer for the mantles of power but only if they promise to move their capital to Candlemere.
-IF the PCs still refuse, the tower will summon a [url=http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/minor-reaper] minor reaper[/b] to slay them.
-If the PCs escape this the tower will use it's remaining power to sink itself (and recharge in 100 years) giving the PCs just enough time to escape.
Mantles of power
-These are not literally garments but titles and powers conferred albeit with a price.
Mantle of the Arcanist: For arcane casters only. For the Cost of a permanent -2 to will saves the mantle of the mage will confer a +2 to caster level on either necromancy or conjuration spells. Once per day the spellcaster can also see in perfect darkness as though he had a darkvision of 60' (or extending the range of darkvision by 60' if the character already has darkvision) the darkvision power is a free action and last 10 minutes per character level. Every time this power is used there is a 5% chance that this will cast phantasmal killer on the caster (roll this secretly then give the player their saves, mwahaha) Additionally, any knowledge planes, arcane, religion, or dungoneering check gets a +10 bonus if the arcane caster is in the Candlemere hex (encouraging more visits)
Mantle of the Cultist: For divine casters only. IF this mantle is accepted the divine caster now has an unsettling presence that confers a -2 penalty to diplomacy and bluff rolls but a +2 to intimidate rolls. In addition they get the Visions of Madness granted power from the Madness domain. Furthermore they can become a priest of Yog-Sothoth if they chose keeping their level and replacing their domains if they are a cleric.
Mantle of the Warrior: For martial classes. IF this mantle is accepted the warrior will no longer suffer from wound penalties and will gain the diehard feat for free if he has this then the toughness feat if he has both improved toughness, however he is no longer feeling any pain. This means that moving forward the DM keeps track of warrior's hp rather than the player. How much damage is not conveyed to the player.
Mantle of the Assassin: For rogue types. IF this mantle is accepted the rogue's shadow becomes a living thing, it can scout ahead it can serve the rogue just as a undead shadow from the beastiary. The player can control the shadow except when the rogue fails his will save then there is a 5% chance the shadow will be free to act and attack the party (though what the result of those 10 rounds of freedom is up to the GM I'd say whatever the rogues id wants but the player refuses: example the rogue covets the party wizard's wand, the shadow steals it while its free to act.)
Long Term
The Tower will always want something and always be pushing the PCs into small compromises for power. Here are some examples of what you can do.
-Tower wants the party to build a wizard's academy in Candlemere, it will give the wearer of the mantle of the cultist the formula of a potion of youth if one is built. The tower will then begin influencing young minds
-Tower wants the city to build a library in return it will teach the wearer of the mantle of the arcanist new spells.
You get the idea I hope...
That's it for this dungeon feedback is appreciated.
Side note: If Pcs do not like their shiny new gift/curses then they can have them removed via remove curse spell dc 32.
If they do not go along with the tower's designs it will intensify its aura bringing about more will-o-wisps and use them to scout out and organize the PCs enemies in the region
I like the overall idea, but the execution makes no sense. Where is the Yog-Sothoth theme? Why are there demons (succubus, brimorak) on the devil path? Why are there demons and devils on the undead path? Why are there devils on the demon path?
For that matter, why are there devils and demons here at all? The denizens of the Dark Tapestry are chaos/madness creatures. CN, maybe CE for the deliberately malicious ones. But many are native to this plane - they're often aberrations, not outsiders.
Undead are reasonable to find anywhere, because there's so many thematic ways to create them - evil magic, the twisting of reality, the ghost's own will, etc. But the typical outsiders have no place in Candlemere, especially not one that's supposed to be Yog-Sothoth themed. If anything, you'd want to use Proteans, but I'm not sure if they're the best choice either.
To further address the theme of the dungeon. Remember that Yog-Sothoth is a Lovecraftian creation and to keep with that theme his ways are incomprehensible to the mortal mind. The wizards who built the tower believed that they could use other outsiders specifically from the lower planes to feed them information about their dark god in more comprehensible chunks. This worked only so far as the demons and devils tiring of being bound and forced to answer questions- gave the wizard's just enough information for them to look into the plane and be consumed by madness.
The skeletal mages are their former apprentices, the priests were failed initiates given over to be demon possessed as a price for failure.
In the long run this is about giving the PCs power at a price, a price that will escalate and potentially corrupt them. After book 6 I intend to use Candlemere as a catalyst to bringing the PC kingdom into Ravenloft and making the tower akin to a Bobba Yaga's Hut type artifact they must destroy to escape Ravenloft. But that is far down the line since my crew meets every 2 weeks.
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I'm loving the mantles more than anything.
I ran Candlemere as the result of an archmage gone too far. He was a powerful sorceror-king, descended from creatures of the dark tapestry, and he researched his connection with it to the detriment of the village on Candlemere. During his experiments he caused a partial breach to another plane, and a group of people banded together and overthrew him. He was stripped of much of his power, magically sealed him in a secret laboratory deep in a lightless flooded well, and left with nothing but shame and the task to keep the breach closed.
He died down there, feeding all his energy into the breach to keep it from creeping open. He arose as a shadow that retained some magical ability, remembering nothing but glimmers of his former life and his duty. Long after his laboratory and clothing had faded away, his shadow toiled all night and all day; the only hints to its aberrant history are the misshapen skeleton with its too-wide eye sockets, a magic headband of Charisma that resists simple decay, and the shadow with longer limbs than a human would have.
In my game, the portal released energy -- energy that manifested effectively as fear. The shadow spent its time weaving magic around the breach, dissipating a lot of that energy, but the rest was released and permeated the island. However, the Will-o-wisps served as consumers of this energy -- they loved it, relished it, and grew strong on it. Rampant will-o-wisps may be bad, but at least it was better than the fear becoming so strong that the breach broke loose. The shadow could feel a presence of another creature working against it from the other side, and so it welcomed whatever force was helping consume the fear.
It had become a tolerable stalemate for centuries when my players killed the Will-o-wisp leader and began massacring the rest of them, which allowed the pressure to build up -- until the first cracks began appearing, releasing Qlippoths. The first was fairly weak, but the second was much stronger, and had spent days eating endlessly and endlessly (imagine the creatures from Langoliers), freely eating animals, boring holes through trees, making tunnels underground, and chewing strange spirals onto the surface of the ground. The players learned that they needed to return only after the qlippoth had bored giant holes through the lake into a deep cave system, which upset the rivers and displeased the Hanspur worshipers.
The PCs begrudgingly came back to the area -- after the first Qlippoth they wanted to never return. This time they gritted their teeth, killed the new one, entered the well, met the shadow and nearly destroyed it until they verified that it was actually holding the breach closed rather than causing it. After killing a few more will-o-wisps they realized they were hurting a lot more than helping, and ultimately decided to help the shadow. They convinced it to let go, and the breach ruptured.
Out came a Child of Light, backlit by some alien reality of horrific brilliance. The Shadow fled back into its skull to avoid dying from the luminescence, and the party waged a close battle of malevolent light against ambivalent darkness (effectively CR+2). They ultimately won, and the breach subsided with the Child's death.
They talked with the shadow for a while. They considered killing it again, but it remembered just enough of its former life to feel regret, and it stated that it had no immediate intentions to bring harm. It just wanted time, to reflect. In fact, it even said it owed them one.
And that's how I scared my players with Candlemere.
Groovy thanks for sharing... Like yours allot, but put too much work into mine, also the power of those mantles are DM candy, and I suspect my players will end up in the van.
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Looks good. I'm sure your players will enjoy it.
I've long since moved past Candlemere, I placed an Elf-Gate below a ruined tower which has been corrupted over the centuries to open to only a few specific locations (including the Shadow plane complete with an echo of a ruined elf kingdom, the Fellnight Realm from Realm of the Fellnight Queen, the First World and Kyonin). Every time the Elfgate is used there is a chance that something from the Dark Tapestry reaches through, which I resolved as great big tentacles.
It's led to some fun adventures, and the PCs built an Academy Town over the Elfgate in order to better study it/protect it from outside interference.
Note: Book 5 & 6 Spoilers
I very much like the Sephirot-based map. I may borrow that and some of the layout, though I already have a different idea of how I'm running this.
Of course, just from the information they've gleaned thus far (between Knowledge checks and warnings from the Old Beldame), they've been too afraid to go investigate the tower...
GM_Solspiral, that is an amazing effort. I took your great idea and turned the three paths into an Undead-themed one with premonitions of the Varnhold Vanishing, a demon-one - because the bound outsiders ere too fun to miss - and a Dark Tapestry one where I showed the future of mankind as envisioned by the somewhat obtuse living dungeon.
I'll be running it today, and I can't wait. Thank you so much!
sweet let me know how it goes
It's working quite well. The whole idea of the dungeon being somehow alive and manifesting the apparition made for some great role-playing. The notes you provided in that regard were very helpful.
I changed the paths. One was Law (devils). One was Eternity (undead). One Entropy.
The Law was the one closest to what you wrote. I then had the apparition tell the PCs - reluctantly, because "you mortals are so easily tempted" - that the Eternity path will show them glimpses of their own future, while the Entropy one will show them their world's future.
The Eternity path is peopled by undead centaurs and - of course - the skeletal mages, thus hinting at the Varnhold Vanishing, while the Entropy path shows various aspects of a world dedicated to the Great Old Ones.
My players are excited, and I am very happy.
Funny part my PCs have avoided candlemere after losing a bunch of troops in mass combat to a group of 25 will-o-wisps (witchlight army) they seem willing to let candlemere stay unclaimed for now..
Likely by the time they get here I'll have to sup it up some, will post here when I run it. I loved the apparition adn the living building concept, the "reward" with strings at the end was my absolute favorite.
My PCs have avoided the area (did to good a job making it an area to fear) but time will come when they come here. Problem is they are now 7th level and monstrously effective. This is officially to easy for me to use so I'm revamping this.
Also I've come to think that Bobson was right. I love the map, I enjoy the path aspect and the apparition are all staying. The Undead Path is getting some upgrades (including a negative energy burst trap that will heal the undead) and is being reskinned as the Necromantic Path. The Devil path is going to be redone as a Conjuration Path, and the Demon Path is getting rewritten as the Transmuter's Path.
I'll be restatting the endboss troll as a ju-ju troll who defends the entrance along with 3 advanced wisps. I'm considering a new end boss, maybe a b-hole with the young template or something.
So Huzzah zombie thread!
Necro is okay, we can forgive you...
As long as you share your work :D
That game had lost a key player and is still finding its feet. We still meet irregularly once a week, goign thru Fellnight Queen at the moment, and the vibe I'm getting is that Candlemere is on the To DO list.
I'm also mixing it with some of the more Dark Tapestry themed stuff I did over at Kobold Press (also,spoiler alert I wrote allot fo Tapestry spells for deep magic too!)
Here's most of my retake on that (there's more, if there's enough demand I'll post it somewhere) A Ritual Madness
For the record my version of the Black Sisters are as a cult of Yog-Sothoth and ultimately they will need to be dealt with...