11: Fog and Death (EL 9)
As you descend the narrow twisting passage into this chamber, you find yourself confronted by a thick, dense bank of acrid fog.
While the dragons have been occupying this cave system, small amounts of the corrosive gas they exhale in area 8 finds its way here where it has become trapped.
Treat this as a permanent acid fog trap which cannot be dispelled or disabled. Due to the geometry of the chamber, even strong winds cannot disperse the vapors.
Natural Acid Fog Trap
CR 7; magic device; no trigger (always active); simulated spell effect (acid fog, 2d6/round acid); Search DC n/a; Disable Device --.
As a method of enforcing obedience among the kodolds, or perhaps just for their cruel amusement, the dragons occasionally order offenders to be bound and thrown into the room. Their deaths are agonizing as the acid dissolves their bodies. The first death here spawned a shadow who in turn has killed two other victims abandoned here. Now there are five shadows in the area.
Kobold Shadows, 5
Size/Type: Small Undead (Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 3d12 (19 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: Fly 30 ft. (good) (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +1 size, +1 deflection), touch 15, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/—
Attack: Incorporeal touch +4 melee (1d4 Str)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +4 melee (1d4 Str)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Create spawn, strength damage
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., incorporeal traits, +2 turn resistance, undead traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 0, Dex 16, Con 0, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 13
Skills: Hide +12, Listen +7, Search +4, Spot +7
Feats: Alertness, Dodge
Challenge Rating: 2
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Strength Damage (Su): The touch of a kobold shadow deals 1d4 points of Strength damage to a living foe. A creature reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow dies. This is a negative energy effect.
Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid reduced to Strength 0 by a shadow becomes a shadow under the control of its killer within 1d4 rounds.
Tactics: The shadows lack any sort of real tactics, and simply move in to attack the first subject into the room. If more than one subject enters a room, the one who is damaged the most on the first round is the subject to all of their attacks on the second. Since the acid fog here damages them as well, they don’t typically linger more than two rounds, and flee into the safety of the walls afterwards.
Treasure: Amidst the rubble on the floor here lie the pitted, decayed remains of several kobold victims. There are ragged remains of clothes, bones and ruined baubles amidst the dirt and rocks here. There are however, a few things here which are still intact. A modest DC 18 Search check will reveal them. A potion of
Gaseous Form, a Ring of Counterspells (with the spell
dispel magic placed into it), and an Elixir of Hiding.
Contributor: Roger Carbol.
