"The Worm that Walks is known by many names, though of them all, Kyuss is the one true name—the most common, the most reviled, and the most feared.". Ragnorra's consciousness now resides wholly in the neurotangle. Terror overcame whoever beheld Leviathan, By the time the party reaches this point, the sun is extinguished and the time of Father Llymic's awakening is at hand. Once the Hulks' Blood Moon sign reaches the strong or overwhelming stage, cultists of Zoretha can voluntarily enter a frenzy as noted in the sign's description. Gaze of Corruption (Recharge 6). Spawn of Kyuss are described on page 192 of Volo's Guide to Monsters. In this location, cultists have carved out a lair that they call the Temple of Zoretha. The dead sun diminishes natural and magical lighting until the sun no longer rises. Some of them are associated with that mysterious place called The Far Realm Beyond the Great Wheel. Venting out from these gaps are plumes of poisonous gas. Thick, twisting strands descend from the neurotangle, closing access to the eastern and southern entrances. On a failed save, the creature takes necrotic damage equal to the hit points it would have regained. The creature can add a d4 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the cultist. The cultist can use its action to force each creature within 60 feet of it that can hear the cultist to make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. The Hulks are the seeds of a monstrous colonization project, awaiting a signal from a parallel plane. Zargon starts by using his Spew Slime action, blanketing the area with the awful stuff. The same applies to the Saga of the Worm, three 5th edition Adventurers League modules (DDAL00-01, DDAL00-03, and and DDAL00-10) surrounding Kyuss's presence in the Forgotten Realms. It concentrates on heavily armored foes (such as fighters or other combat specialists), leaving physically weaker opponents to the dread wraiths and Lucather. The cultists stand around the edge of these carved runes. The sample elder evils provided in this book can guide you in deciding on a suitable malefic property for one of your own design. If you are not expanding this adventure site to the lower levels, have the stairs end at a bricked-up wall. When planning for activity around the glacial tomb, be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules for Wilderness Survival (DMG 109). The skulls are all humanoid, and a DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check reveals small holes riddling each. Those hoping to fly to reach the peak find it to be a nearly impossible task. The Vanguard of Sertrous is made up of yuan-ti cultists whose teachings are secretly passed down by the decapitated head of their demonic patron. Icy Touch. The moment Father Llymic is reduced to half of his hit points or fewer, he lets out a terrifying screech that calls all brood spawn within a 10-mile radius. The other Hulks spread out to surround the party and to avoid being caught in area spells. Creatures that fit inside of the small crater gain half-cover, but it costs an additional 5 feet of movement to enter and exit the crater. After the fifth round, consider one main cavern cultist per round to be hidden (DC 18 to detect) to ambush the party. While in the tunnels, he projects his voice from other openings by causing his voice to echo across the tunnels. For example, you can take advantage of Atropus's connection to Atropals to make them effective heralds of the moonlet's approach. A creature that enters the fog's area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. He uses his Cunning Action to weave in and out of combat, targeting the most injured enemy with his Sneak Attack when possible. The mere presence of an elder evil threatens reality. Other ceilings in the temple complex are stone, and most are 20 feet tall or lower. In a Spelljammer campaign, worshiping an ideal might be an attractive option for clerics that would otherwise be restricted in spheres their gods do not have influence over, causing the Vanguard's heretical beliefs to spread faster than anticipated. The deities cast her into the sky, but she reappears as a blood-red comet every 500 years. This encounter is changed to consist of two brood spawn frost giants (EdE 11B) and two brood spawn worgs (EdE 10B). Recurring villains or their minions work well when the party already has an inkling of the nemesis. As the sign grows more potent, the infesting serpents become increasingly more deformed. Brood spawn can be found here, but they are comatose due to the effects of the vapor. The craters vary depending on the size of the object that struck the moonlet. It regenerates 15 hit points at the start of every round, and it is immune to acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, and radiant damage; it is also immune to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren't made with adamantine weapons. Dark, swollen pustules bubble from the worldskin, and squirming growths wriggle within. A second tunnel leads to area L, but it is small and difficult to notice in the shadows. While I'm keeping this in as it's a Malefic Property from the original book, some DMs might find it to be a bit unfair towards divine spellcasters in the party. The immortals could not discover a means of destroying his horn, and thus they entombed Zargon and a whole city of his mad worshipers in a place now lost to history. These tubes are about 10 feet in diameter and were used for access between levels when the temple was submerged. For example, cultists of the Worm That Walks might be able to embed mind-controlling worms in politicians and other key NPCs in your world. Warped Flesh. If Dorn is here and the trap was not sprung, he first uses his Summon Demon action to summon an alkilith. And the smell—the air reeked of a slaughterhouse.". They sort of worm their way literally and figuratively into various communities and in concert with a cult, sort of rot the community from the inside out. Discord - a lot of you guys on D&D discord servers like the Discord of Many Things helped me out with this conversion. The check DC depends on the sign's intensity, as set out in the following table. Even necromancers have their own undead seized from them and turned against them; when unattended, these undead are infected by worms, and set out to fulfill the will of Kyuss. As in area C, the secret door that leads to area G can be discovered with a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check and is protected by three glyphs of warding. Gods grant that it lie in peace in the depths for all eternity. Any non-undead creature that come in contact with the Ichor Sea or starts its turn in the seatakes 14 (4d6) necrotic damage and must make a DC 23 Constitution saving throw. Aside from these effects, the weather itself makes traveling the mountain extremely difficult. Elaborate upon the mysterious place called Zoretha. Lamps that burn human fat for fuel illuminate the main level. Some are as small as 5 feet tall. Damage Immunities. If the party makes a deal with his cultists, Zargon might be willing to break Elturel's chains using his nigh indestructible horn. Additionally, creatures in the area can't benefit from resistance to necrotic damage, and they suffer disadvantage on saving throws made against effects that deal necrotic damage. There is no entrance or exit to this room, and the walls are indestructible. On her next turn, she summons a fiendish anaconda (EdE 38B) using the summon greater demon spell; if you wish to increase the difficulty of the encounter, you can have her summon a more powerful demon instead. The obyrith lord Pazuzu might oppose Zargon due to the demon's secret alliance with Asmodeus. See the. You could forge on, having the party challenge the gods themselves, but even then, the tale has to end someday. A few wretches who despise everything, whether they be nihilists or lunatics, do bow to an elder evil. Each creature in the line must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The pile of detritus in the center of the room is the remains of a grisgol destroyed by Lucather Majii's group. It otherwise takes damage as normal. This is the epicenter of the worldskin's explosive growth. Touching the sphere with a rod of absorption causes the sphere to be absorbed and for the rod to explode, dealing 140 (40d6) force damage to everything in a 600-foot radius. a reoccuring monster type throughout the campaign), the Titan of Zoretha would instead be used as their leader. On a mishap, the teleportation fails, and each teleporting creature or object takes 16 (3d10) force damage. On a success, a creature manages to prevent themselves from falling by grabbing onto the bridge or onto another creature, as appropriate. Pandorym now lingers, its essence split and imprisoned, waiting for release—and vengeance. Fruit bursts and rots on the vine before it can be harvested. walking, or pressing with a 10-foot pole) anywhere in the indicated area causes the entire stretch of corridor to slam shut, pulping anyone caught between the walls. The skeletons will attempt to spread out and attack every party member if possible, while the bone dragon will take to the skies and swoop in only when its Breath Weapon has recharged. The Scramble itself is difficult terrain. The cultist is immune to effects that allows other creatures to read its thoughts, determine whether it is lying, or know its alignment. Faint: When a creature magically regains hit points, it regains 5 additional hit points. (Remember, this is a floating head in space, not an astrophysics project; don't worry too much about the time it takes for the moonlet to descend.). ©2020 Wizards. Whenever a creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a DC 23 Constitution saving throw or take 11 (2d10) poison damage and suffer one level of exhaustion. To view the statistics for all of the monsters referenced in this document, see the standalone document on GM Binder. Every minute that a creature searches through the area allows the creature to make a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Thanks for all the help! The terrain easily hides his brood, and travelers and remote mountain clans go missing all the time. The spine, positioned not far behind the Leviathan's head, rises from the water several miles off the coast. This mass of tissue, when activated, spontaneously births aberrations to serve Ragnorra or her minions. Zargon emerges from a deep pit dug by his cultists, who were rewarded for their labor by being transformed into whelps. For each additional 5 hours of reading that is accompanied by a successful check, a reader learns one of the following facts: Every five hours spent reading the Zoretha Scrolls forces the reader to make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw. The slime shaman targets spellcasters with blindness/deafness, and then follows up with a variety of damaging spells. This area is difficult terrain for creatures of Medium size or larger. Strong: Eerie weather occurs once a day and affects an entire continent or large surface of the planet. Example D&D 5e Creatures: Adult White Dragon, Bearded Devil, Cyclops, Giant Eagle, Kobold, Myconid Sprout, Star Spawn Grue, Tridrone, Yeti. If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't function at the start of the vampire's next turn. It sleeps in the deepest trenches of the seas, spawning tsunamis, whirlpools, and earthquakes as it restlessly shifts. Built around an extradimensional cube trapped between the planes, the Reliquary was constructed by the fallen planetar Avamerin to serve as a place for him to rest between incursions and as a place to safely keep Sertrous's head secure from those who would attempt to destroy it. Once the male Hulk awakens, he uses this ambush spot if given an opportunity to do so. Rather, a DM may wish to describe how the temper of each character shortens and how their anger becomes more volatile as the sign intensifies; this method requires cooperation from the players so that they can properly roleplay these effects over the course of the campaign. The Vanguard was a sham, and the infestation of serpents is a trial placed upon the world by the gods as a test to mortal life. All worldskin features are immune to poison, psychic, and radiant damage. This section is unchanged. Then it snowed for three weeks. If such a spell forces a saving throw, any victim of the spell has disadvantage on the save. All four female Hulks cast conjure minor elementals before the combat is engaged, summoning mephits or other elemental creatures as appropriate. The first type is the Star Spawn Grue, a lipless, ever-grinning ghoulish creature that runs around with its spindly limbs. Any living creature that sleeps within 100 miles of the elder evil must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be afflicted with a random form of short-term madness. It's CR5 but if you break it down using the "Monster Statistics by Challenge Rating" on p.274 of the DMG, you'll find that with 71HP and AC14 it barely scrapes a Defensive CR of 2. Perhaps Zargon managed to kill all of the gods in the setting, or only a majority of them. If the characters bypass this brood spawn white dragon, it flies up to join the fight with Father Llymic the moment he is freed. For example, planar campaigns or campaigns that use Spelljammers might wish to change the default locations given in the original book to better fit the setting they are a part of. The southern wall is porous volcanic rock and abuts the geyser cave (area A). While the brood spawn are certainly interesting creatures to fight, other aberrations such as mind flayers and daelkyr might serve Father Llymic's interests as well. This would allow Kyuss's, Feel free to change the conditions required to free Kyuss from his imprisonment. Variant: Instead of the sun disappearing completely, planetary rotation slows so that, ultimately, one side of the world is bathed in perpetual light while the other is plunged into eternal darkness. Home; About This Blog; Why These Tactics? Possibly older than time itself and they are sort of these Lovecraftian beings that exist outside of regular space and time and the Star Spawn are their heralds. Flaming Hail. Dark Indulgence. As it moves away from the world, the Restless Dead sign ends, and creatures animated by its effects collapse, lifeless. It was intended to be a cathedral and resting place grand enough for gods. The shape of your life, of all life, is her highest art. In general, feel free to involve the spread of Sertrous's teachings in your campaign. Though 150 feet tall at its highest, the ceiling in the great cavern arches down to 20 feet tall at the walls, which is slightly shorter than the Hulks themselves. The grate cannot be opened; prisoners are placed in the pits using teleporation magic. Not long after this boon comes a light rain of spores, dotting the landscape with foul growths that spawn horrid abominations and spread corruption across the land. Aside from a collection of animal masks, the bodies have nothing of value. If it succeeds, the scion uses its Fling to throw a grappled creature deeper into the tar. Every mortal being that dies in the frightful complex surrounding the crystalline prison later serves in some way as a defender of the site. The chamber barely survived its arrival: The annihilating body of the ultraplanar being instantly blew a 30-foot-wide sphere out of existence, along with several of its summoners. Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes introduced us to the Star Spawn. To ordinary mortals, the appearance of a sign is a mysterious phenomenon—foreboding and sinister, to be sure, but without obvious significance. Two secret doors lead to concealed chambers. Doing this only takes 5 minutes and doesn't require a saving throw. These columns contain concentrated chaos energy. Finally, average temperatures drop by 2 degrees Fahrenheit all over the world. As his age of freezing darkness draws near, his brood begins to appear, stalking the wastes in preparation for his reign. The three smaller back chambers of the ritual room serve the cultists as storage areas. On a success, a creature can move through the ridge at a fourth of its speed. Where's my stuff? The secret door that leads to area G can be discovered with a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check and is protected by three glyphs of warding (save DC 18). The possible campaign outline given in the original book is unchanged except as described below. Animals sicken and die. If the party approaches within 50 feet of one of these doorways, roll on the following table to see what type of creature manifests. See DMG 109 for details on severe weather conditions and their effects. The cultist gains proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills, and its proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check made using these skills. Spells, magic items, and other effects that generate light cease to do so. After the cultist makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, but before the outcome is determined, an additional d20 can be rolled. When not provoking opportunity attacks, Zargon climbs around the room, spreading his Slime Trail wherever he goes. The wraiths work with one another and Lucather (if he still exists) to defend the inevitable, but they do not necessarily cooperate with Obligatum VII or a mind shard. Blistered souls that escaped here from Encounter 1 remain hidden in the corner labeled 2 and use their Regenerate Worldskin ability to heal and support Ragnorra and the others. Guards attack anyone they do not know as soon as they are in range. Though, "canon" in any TTRPG is what you make it. The Titan of Zoretha (EdE 15B) summons an elemental of its choice before combat. The ziggurat is a stepped pyramid, with each level rising 20 feet high. Unless you wish to expand this adventure site to include the upper levels, the party has to enter through the front doors leading to area A. Bodies of water become tainted and sometimes poisonous. Only one or two copies (in addition to the original scrolls) should exist in a given game world, since making a copy requires a scribe to voluntarily and permanently give up her sanity. The cultist adopts insanity as a shield to turn effects that target its mind against those around it. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, a creature also falls unconscious for 1 minute or until another creature uses its action to make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to awaken it. Remove coins from features that are destroyed. Reference the original book if you are interested in lore and details regarding aspects of the Leviathan, Axihuatl, and Marcus Hape. The cultist's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma. They are their servants and the cultists and warlocks who bind themselves to the Elder Evils will often be visited by Star Spawn and know that the Elder Evil that are connected to, is being to exert influence on a place in the world because of the presence of various Star Spawn. The deep lurkers attack the other party members and attempt to keep them from helping the shard-carrier. The moonlet has a thin atmosphere permeated by a field of negative energy. Ragnorra has started the process of regrowth, during which she will increase from her current Gargantuan fragment to a monstrosity a mile or more across. If you've decided recently to bring things to a head, there's nothing wrong with suddenly revealing the elder evil. Only the most thorough chronicler might notice that one mountain in particular is full of strange tales regarding missing travelers and reclusive natives. The world shudders beneath a flood of loathsome creatures birthed from the depths of the seas or the dankest pits of the Underdark. Anyone that wields all of these artifacts would instantly discover the location of Pandorym's mind (or body), making them highly desirable for Obligatum VII and any other faction out there. Statistics for these creatures can be found in a separate document, linked here. Most who encounter Pandorym's mind usually have their minds collapse into madness or savagery, but there may be some, like Lucather Majii, that retain enough sanity to act on his behalf. That creature can't be revived by any means short of a wish spell. Living creatures regain 1 hit point each minute, and severed body parts regrow daily at dawn. While the combat rages, the gravecrawler (EdE 44B) moves back and uses its chill touch and dispel magic spells to negate the beneficial effects of any divine spellcaster in the party. The oozeblades sound the alarm and charge the party on their turn. Smaller creature to hide within targeting celestials, elementals, and a few carries the swimmer along regenerate or. Exposed creatures and objects take 1 bludgeoning damage plus 1 fire damage, until the end of pit. Its unconscious body drifts through wildspace cohort, a portion of the world in for. The chest is embroidered on the obsidian walls caused by Ragnorra using hold monster on a DC 20 (... 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