D&D 5E Small tweaks to improve Out of the Abyss [DMs toolbox; SPOILERS]

Mike Mikesh said:

It sounds like you had a very good session. But, based on this experience, if you were called on to do this again, say for a convention, what specifics or meta-resources would you try applying next?

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I think the first thing I would try is tying it to Inspiration. You can spend Inspiration to set up a flashback. I would also set a specific time frame that flashbacks have to take place with in. For example, after Jorlan offered to leave the gate unlocked but before you started your escape attempt (which in my game was a two day span).

Prisoners of the Drow

Yes, this seems in-keeping with the D&D 5e design philosophy -- draw on existing mechanics rather than create new ones.

Then, if the player sets up an effective and entertaining flashback, he or she could potentially earn the inspiration back received once away from Velkynvelve.

Gravenhollow

Abyssal Dreamwalker

Stone giant dreamwalkers provided much inspiration for enhancements to our campaign as we got into Gravenhollow. Before finding that ancient place, our party encountered Jothic, a dreamwalker recently returned from his dream quest under the open sky. Unaware of the taint, he rested in an area of chaos infected faerzress, and his madness took on a demonic form. The twisting reality around him gave him an appearance much like Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies, embellished with additional gruesome piercings.
I modified Jothic from Volo's Guide to Monsters in the following ways:

• Replace Petrifying Touch with Agonizing Touch. If the target is a creature that can feel pain, it must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or become incapacitated with excruciating pain for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
• Altered Dreamwalker's Charm to only affect demons.
• Jothic can cast a modified Evard's Black Tentacles at will. The area is a zone 30 feet around the dreamwalker and must also overlap an area of chaos tainted faerzress. The tentacles instead take the form of iron chains and hooks, and do not affect Jothic or his allies.

This last was visually striking. The faerzress took on a red-orange hue in the area around Jothic. Scattered pits opened from which rose vapors and the glow of magna. Left open long enough, demons would emerge. Iron chains and cruel hooks were draped throughout and red blood seeped from where barbs pierced the stalagmites or columns. The chains animated and attacked when Jothic invoked his power similar Evard's Black Tentacles.

In keeping with the above Illustration, Jothic was contemplating an intricate gold cube when the party came upon him. I treated it as a cubic gate, opening to layers of the Abyss, that his own madness summoned into existence. Upon seeing the party, he simply said, "You must see this," and started leading the group to a luminous cave.

However, an elf, Cloud, emerged from the shadows to give warning and back story. He was the last survivor of seven elf artists who followed "Master" Jothic intending to meet more stone giant sculptors. Demons, emerging from pits and killed most of the elves as Jothic was shaping the stalagmites in the area of faerzress (his "gallery") into horrific images that seem to come real in his presence.

When the player characters entered the gallery, Jothic dramatically raised his arms and rumbled, "Behold! My creations!" The giant expected adulation. When the reaction was instead quite disappointing, he yelled in rage of "Critics!" and attacked.

Gravenhollow

Conspiracy

Gravenhollow offered too much potential to run it straight. I added a conspiracy driven by a vengeful hag for the characters to foil.
Yuraddal, a night hag, lived near Menzoberranzan and had a thriving business aiding desperate drow nobles. Deep gnome heroes, with uncanny knowledge, stole her wealth and nearly slayed her. She later discovered they obtained her secrets from Gravenhollow. Yuraddal infiltrated the great library to purge that information and take revenge on the librarians.

Aside from galeb duhr assisting the three giants, I added pech servants. The galeb duhr worked the closest with the librarians and managed the stone records. The pechs were in charge of non-mineral books and scrolls, and attended to guests. Stone records were shelved high (for the convenience of the giants) and the organic collection shelved low.
Yuraddal presented herself as Yadda, a pech from under the Dalelands, and insinuated herself into life at the library. She rose to dominance through sheer force of personality and guile. When the player characters arrived, they imagined she was in charge for decades unaware she came to Gravenhollow mere weeks ago.

The hag secretly inflicted Red Sky Fever (see later posting) on the three stone giants. With all librarians incapacitated, she took charge and declared the library closed ordering all guests to leave. Yadda deflected offers of help with assurances Gravenhollow had many confidential resources at their disposal, and that she had already requested aid from a stone giant community. (This last was a lie, but she could be protected by a device like an Amulet of Proof Against Detection and Location.)

The rest of her plan was to next incapacitate the galeb duhr. A great cauldron in a secret chamber would expel vapors that spread to create a haze throughout Gravenhollow. This would render all galeb duhr dormant. Her shadow demon minion, Fixor, and his own shadow minions, would find and destroy all references relating to her. If the giants didn't succumb to the fever, she would poison them with her ministrations.

Reading the "Hags: Dark Sisterhood" section in Volo's Guide to Monsters is good DM preparation for running Yadda. Without any other leadership, the pechs and Veldyskar should be easily cowed into obedience. If the PCs themselves meekly agree to leave, Vizeran DeVir can set the example by refusing. The PCs themselves can encourage resident NPCs to stand up to Yadda and show leadership. At the same time, the activities of shadows can keep the heroes distracted.

Gravenhollow

Red Sky Fever

In our campaign, Yuraddal, a night hag, cursed/infected the three librarians with Red Sky Fever to assure they were incapacitated. The heroes had to venture into their bizarre dreamscapes to save the giants.

Red Sky Fever originated from an ancient conflict that brought a company of stone giants warriors to Pazunia, the first layer of the Abyss. The campaign went bitterly wrong when some of the giants started succumbing to madness and became abyssal dreamwalkers. At great price to the giants, an altraloth cured their jarl of the madness, but actually extracted the fever as a culturable essence to trade to night hags. Unlike a common disease, Yuraddal delivered the curse of Red Sky Fever by placing a specially prepared medicine bundle (vrock feather, prickle vine, etc.) under each giant's bed.The initial symptoms were high fever, delirium, red eyes, and veins became dark and prominent. The next stage (if the giant hadn't died yet) was dream walking. Their delirium leeched out affecting the reality around them to such a degree that it created a demiplane. Shaped by the giant's fevered nightmare, it was connected to Pazunia as a "closet". The final stage was death and transformation into a unique, huge demon, unless the giant stabilized.

If a DM employs this twist, the formula for a curative elixir can be researched there in Gravenhollow and brewed, perhaps calling for components that include one or more odd things the player characters just happened to collect in their adventures. This can be done by the PCs applying their skills in Investigation and Arcana, or by engaging an NPC (e.g. Vizeran DeVir). In our game, they learned of an additional use of the Stonespeaker Crystal. Placed on the sarcophagus of a past librarian, named Trirza, her "echo" appeared and orchestrated the brewing of the elixirs.

Each librarian was somewhere in his/her nightmare standing entranced by the created world. The physical laws and environment were very strange. The trick was for the party to penetrate the dangers and obstacles to reach the giant. Thereafter, it was a matter of convincing the giant to drink the elixir, which could be mixed into something else (ale, milk, wine, etc).

When the giant consumed the elixir, the demiplane quickly dissolved and returned the giant to his quarters. The heroes had to act fast to avoid being trapped in the Abyss. The librarian still remained in a fever, but was assured of recovery in the coming days (unless Yuraddal interceded).

Gravenhollow

Red Sky Fever - Ulthar's World

The librarians the hag infected with Red Sky Fever affected reality itself. When the heroes visited their respective quarters, they entered an abyssal demiplane shaped by the giant's fevered nightmare.

In our campaign, Ulthar's quarters became the stern of an enormous, wrecked ship constructed of stone. Only the rear remained, caught upon sharp rocks. The water was shallow enough (although teaming with poisonous jellyfish) for medium sized characters to wade to the adjacent island.
The island was about a thousand feet in diameter, most of it being a very broad, flat beach dominated by tide pools. The sand was dark and gritty with sharp shells and prickly obsidian shards. In the center was a knoll with dune grass and a large sculpture atop it. Ulthar could be seen in the distance draped in seaweed strolling the beach.

The sky above bore a red sun with storm clouds on the horizon in every direction. The sea heaved with waves. Yet, where the water met the shore, it barely lapped. The island air was a dead calm and smelled of decaying sea life. Between the shore and raging sea were modest waves and jagged rocks protruding in places.

The block-shaped sculpture at the center of the island was Maztican in tradition, a stylized rendering of Demogorgon with exaggerated tentacles. Along its base were markings in Abyssal.

The tide pools did not obstruct characters walking through to catch up to Ulthar. Despite they were only a couple of inches deep, it wasn’t hard to imagine the sand was merely a thin crust over a body of water of indefinite depth. In fact, the characters could see the image of at least one aquatic hezrou demon lurking below. To keep the heroes from reaching Ulthar, the swimming demons could reach up from their watery mirror world, or even fully emerge to attack.

Wherever Ulthar walked, swarms of tiny crabs emerged from the sand to move with the giant for a time. The carapace of each creature was shaped to the likeness of a fiendish face. They attacked as a swarm of insects if the heroes tried to approach Ulthar.

Gravenhollow

Red Sky Fever - Urmas's World

Urmas's suite turned into the upper room of a large tower decorated with Abyssal appointments and symbols associated with Baphomet. The balcony outside overlooked a vast maze expanding to the horizon. The sky was red with high, black smoke clouds moving fast despite no breeze. The low sun was colored red. Gargoyles flew patrol. Many were gathered at the top of the tower.
Several hundred feet away, Urmas stood upon a raised platform whose top was level with the maze walls. Exaggerated bull horns sprouted from his head. He also had hoofed legs and a tail. The librarian only gazed at the sun.

The maze corridors were some 20 feet wide and 20 feet high. Simple traps were common. Any form of teleport took the character back to a teleportation circle on the bottom level of the original tower. Climbing or flying over a wall provoked an attack from the gargoyles and juvenile nabassu demons (see Beasts from the Abyss available at dmsguild.com), each group increasing in size. Invisible characters were visible to the guardians if they were in direct light of the Abyssal sun rather than in shadow. Gorgons also wandered the maze, which I described as stone skinned rather than iron (AC 16, HP 126).

The central step pyramid was carved with demonic images relating to Baphomet. Urmas initially stood oblivious to the characters. The base was protected by an encircling, animated anchor and chain (AC 20; HP 120; MV 30; Blindsight 60 ft; STR 19, DEX 14, CON 12, INT 1, WIS 10, CHA 3, Perception +2; Melee +6 reach 10 ft bludgeoning 2D8+4. Constrict +6 2D10+4 and grappled (escape DC 16). It crumbled to rust when defeated.


I used mazegenerator.net to create a playing aid with Urmas's step pyramid in the center. It’s a very well developed online tool. As parameters, I recommend Style: Orthogonal; Width: 60; Height: 60; Inner width: 4; Inner height: 4; Starts at: Bottom or inner room; E: 50; R: 50.

Gravenhollow

Red Sky Fever - Ustova's Cyclone World

Ustova's rooms were being whipped by hot hurricane force winds. The ceilings were gone and open to a red sky. A spinning whirlwind danced from room to room. It extended up into a tunnel of rotating red fog that led up to a red light (open sky). Frequent flashes and roars of thunder indicated lightning was common. A galeb duhr saw Ustova rise willingly through the whirlwind and continue to fly up out of sight.

Non-galeb duhr characters entering the room had to make a DC 10 Dexterity save each round to avoid taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage. A failure by 5 indicated the character was drawn up through the whirlwind at a rate of 60 feet per round.
At the top, 1000 feet above the rooms, the characters could easily get a footing on the cloud layer, which was solid, although soft. A red sun was just above the horizon. Sharp mountains protruded through the clouds in each direction. Huge numbers of black crows circled against the red sky with the hub being the cyclone eye the heroes emerged from.

Ustova was visible in the distance. She stood a couple of feet over the clouds wrapped in black fabrics that drifted about her. Her arms were held out as if in imitation of soaring. Ustova moved without walking in the same direction the crows traveled. A vulture perched on her shoulder. Elsewhere was a floating rock island upon which was a small ziggurat supporting a figure of Pazuzu, Demon Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms.

The solid cloud was not difficult terrain, it felt like walking on a thin, if irregular, mattress. The contours of the surface changed, but too slowly to affect actions. Most of the surface would have been white if not for the red sky. Other areas appeared threateningly dark or otherwise luminous yellow. The coloring, white, dark, & yellow, shifted about arbitrarily.

In a given round, the party had a chance (a 1 result on a 1d6) that they would be on a region starting the glowed yellow. Each character had to roll a DC 12 Dexterity save or take 1d6 lightning damage. It was also possible (a 2 result on the 1d6) to find themselves on a darkening region. Here, the cloud was thinning, and through the breaks they could see a hellish terrain of magma and black ignatius rock far below them. A character that failed a DC 12 Acrobatics check fell through. However, the character was not necessarily in danger. He would simply be drawn by the winds into the funnel and returned to the top of the cyclone after 1d4 rounds.

The vulture was Quowk. When the characters approached, he took wing and transformed into his true form, a vrock demon. The crows joined in the attack as an extension of Quowk. They were treated as swarms of ravens with demon traits. While Quowk could see through the eyes of swarms, the swarms made the environment heavily obscured to the heroes. The demonic avians could sense and break off when the clouds would turn yellow and discharge lightning.

Gracklstugh

Red Sky Fever - Rampaging Giant pt 1

Since I'd already introduced Red Sky fever as an element in our campaign, I altered the Rampaging Giant encounter in Gracklstugh in the following way.

Alarms are being raised not far away. You hear a pair of loud, deep voices either laughing or crying. What looks like an ettin strides into view, but it is not. The creature approaching is a stone giant bearing twin heads. The left head laughs maniacally at each smashing blow it delivers. The right head cries with great remorse as if it must crush and maim against its will. The sounds the heads make are remarkably alike, even if the expressions are opposite.

Stranger still, it rains around the giant. It's obviously sea water from it's sea-spray odor. The ground has turned to ocean bottom silt embedded with starfish and shells, and carpets of seaweed. Nearby structures and stalactites have transformed to coral.

Duergar are attacking the deviant giant with woeful results. One powerful swing impacts a guard, whose broken body flies through the air and crashes near you with a sickening crunch.

The greatclubs wielded by the giant are stylized. Both have rows of circles on one side in imitation of tentacles. The other side of the left club is sculpted with the faces of smiling fiends and is made of dark stone. The right club is light in color, and decorated with faces of tragedy. Both clubs are now smeared with blood as the giant continues his onslaught.

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A duergar woman stone cutter, Hatulin, is on the periphery with a healer's kit helping the injured. The day before, a friend of her's bought a fragrance bag as a gift for the giant, Rihuud, to wear. Today, the giant looked ill, and things started changing around him. The excitement caused the stone guard to overreact and attack despite pleas for restraint from Hatulin. Rihuud went berserk and manifested twin heads.

The reality shift around Rihuud can also affect creatures. Perhaps every odd round, something horrific happens to an NPC. Examples:

• A deep dwarf starts coughing violently. He brings his hand to his throat. In the next instant, he is vomiting water. The duergar drops to the ground convulsing as water gushes from his mouth.
• A guard drops his weapon and yells in horror as he watches his hand swell and turn transparent. His screams change to gurgles, and he falls limply to the ground. He becomes a mass of clear jelly that spills out of his armor.

If PCs are within 30 feet of Rihuud, have an arbitrary one make a DC 15 Wisdom save. If he fails, he undergoes a transformation (although not as lethal). Once outside the radius, it ends after one minute. Also while outside, he can save again at the end of each of his turns. Examples:

• You feel a cold, clamminess over your entire body. All of your skin is replaced with slippery, iridescent fish scales, and you exude a strong, fishy odor. (Disadvantage on Persuasion (Charisma) checks.)
  [*]Your eyelids peel back as your eyes grow into monstrous unblinking saucers. The periphery of your sight is clearer than it’s ever been, and what you see is brighter. (Darkvision 120 feet.)
  [*]You fall prone as your legs shrink to almost nothing. Beside you are your empty pants and boots. You now have a long fish's tail like that of the merfolk. You can still move the tail well enough to gain some mobility. (Movement 10 feet.)
  [*]Your face becomes unnaturally wide, and your mouth fills with rows of shark's teeth. It's difficult for you speak without human lips. You have an impulse to bite and tear. (Gain an extra melee attack: bite for base 1d4 damage.)
  [*]Tiny crabs emerged from the silt and converge on you. The carapace of each creature is shaped to the likeness of a fiendish face. They attack you. (Treat as a swarm of insects.)
• A patch of otherwise limp seaweed animates & starts encircling your legs. Roll a DC 15 Strength save to avoid becoming restrained. If entangled, you can use actions to repeat the save.

Gracklstugh

Red Sky Fever - Rampaging Giant pt 2

When Rihuud drops, don't treat him as dead, rather just as dying (rolling death saves). He stops generating the zone of altered reality around him. Remain in initiative since a mad stone guard encounter takes place right away.

Immediately after the stone giant falls, the rain of sea water ceases (etc). A stone guard sergeant comes up with a look of unbridled rage and revulsion on his face. He's just knocked down a female duergar carrying a healer's kit who briefly tried to restrain him. She is dressed in the manner of a stonecutter, and sounds as though she is pleading with the sergeant. Even if you do not understand the exchange in dwarvish, it's pretty clear from his stance he means to decapitate the fallen abomination of its twin heads. The other duergar are looking on astonished and uncertain.

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The woman is Hatulin (see prior post). She is having trouble reasoning with the stone guard. If the PCs themselves aim to just notch another kill, or simply withdraw, a DM can use her early to help direct the heroes.

Otherwise, if characters understand dwarvish, she is shouting, "Rihuud is innocent! The Deepking will want him spared!" She might also at this time shout an appeal to the heroes in Undercommon, "Save the giant! He is ill!"

Sergeant Malnus is mad. He is completely revolted by any physical abnormalities, and a giant that has grown two heads cannot be suffered to live. The other duergar defenders will be torn over what to do. They believe the giant should be saved if possible, but neither can they defy their sergeant. They will stand frozen with internal conflict if the heroes move to subdue Malnus.