D&D 5E [CAMPAIGN] Out of the Abyss [SPOILERS]

[Amatiel]

I have incorporated the following dreams to convey the demonic overtones and flash-back technique. The paladin and wizard have backgrounds that have related personality traits.
• I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it. &
• I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us, we just need to listen.
DREAMS
Hunger Games !
A cold sweat, pounding heartbeat, short of breath. Terror grips you, and the darkness of the cavern is illuminated in frightening ways by leering shadows from strange glowing fungi. Alien echo’s confuse your sense of direction.
Something whispers out of the darkness and a sharp pain tears across your shoulders as your flesh parts. Musical laughter whispers amidst the shadows of the cavern. You dash across a cold stream, stumbling across sharp rocks, as a spike of agony rips though your right knee and you collapse to hard ground.
Booted feet alight beside you and roughly turn you over. Standing over you are the shadowy forms of a handful of dark elves. You recognise the dark priestess Ilvara and some of the others as guards from the prison.
The priestess is scowling at you, when she sighs and makes a few sharp gestures. Suddenly, you feel a sharp pain across your throat and a wet warmth wash down your chest. Someone just cut your throat!
Your last sight is of the priestess slicing your nipple from your chest and chewing on your flesh, your blood dribbling down her lip.

You awake with a sharp breathe and a damp sweat over your body. The dream was very vivid, and left you with a spine tingling horror. It couldn’t possibly be real, could it?


Pursuit !
The soft beat of many feet upon the hard ear. The fleeting image of half caught shadows from the darkness. A soft whisper of cool air against your fast from your speeding passage. About you, many half seen figures dash madly through the darkness with you.
A small stream lit softly by glowing algae catches a reflection of an ebony skinned elven face as they leap boldly across its surface. The figure stops briefly beside the remnants of a campfire. Wish a harsh cry, he leaps to his feet and bounds deeper into the dark environs. About him, flittering shadows join him on his hunt with echoing cries from the darkness !

Your rest is filled with strange dreams and disturbing images. Dark shadows seem to move and reach out toward you as you wander lost through endless mazes of tunnels. Oily tentacles slide to brush up against them, while a great buzzing and howling rises in the distance.
Suppurating wounds burst open in clouds of spores or crawling masses of maggots or insects.
You pull yourself from your reverie with a physical effort as if some presence is holding you down, and a cool moisture chills your skin. You have an unshakable feeling as if there is something out there in the dark watching you.


Something is wrong with the world. You can feel it. There have been signs. A darkness hides behind the thin, peeling veneer, slowly eating away at all things good and pure. You can fight it, but eventually you will succumb to its curse and it will consume you. But maybe there is another way. Maybe you can understand enough of it that it might only fracture your mind, instead of shattering it outright. Then the fight may go on.

 

[Amatiel]

CHAPTER 2
UNDERDARK JOURNEY
Navigating Route: DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check. Slow pace +5, fast pace -5. Fail check lost for 1d6 hours, re-roll check to find path.
Foraging: On a successful check you find 1d6+ Wisdom modifier food (pounds). Roll again for water (gallons). Foraging is over 8 hours at a normal pace.
Underdark DC 15 (Survival) check; Barren Zone DC 20
STARVATION
PHB p.185
Food
• Need one pound of food per day
• Can make food last longer by eating half as much, which counts as half a day without eating
• Can go 3 + Constitution modifier days without food, after which doing a day without eating causes one level of exhaustion
• A normal day of eating reduces your exhaustion from starvation by 2 levels.

Water
• Need one gallon of water per day two if the weather is hot
• PCs that drink only half the required amount must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer a level of exhaustion each day
• PCs that drink less than half automatically suffer a level of exhaustion
• If a creature already has one or more levels of exhaustion, the character takes two levels in either case


PURSUIT LEVEL
Ο Ο Ο Ο Ο

Pursuit level starts at 4.
• -1 / for each day the party travels at a fast pace.
• -1 / character spends time covering up the party's trail that day, requiring a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Survival) check. Someone covering tracks cannot forage!
• -1 / each time the characters cross or traverse some feature that obscures their
trail, such as a subterranean river.
• -1 / if the party splits into two or more groups. Each group becomes a separate
party for purposes of determining ranrlom encounters and whether or not the group becomes lost.
• +1 / each time the party has a random encounter with one or more creatures, unless the encounter is bypassed or avoided entirely.
• +1 / each day the adventurers travel at a slow pace.
• +1/-1 : Certain terrain encounter increase or decrease the pursuit level. See the indivdual descriptions in the "Random Encounters section.

First week of encounters on way to Dark-Lake. I also used some cool A4 art I googled and printed of to portray most of the underdark areas described. Picture paints a thousand words and all.

Day 1. Evening
Gorge. Show Fungi cavern / chasm map.
For many hours you have fled your captivity, the hours dragging by as step by relentless step you have trekked ever farther into the endless depths of this shadowed void that seems without end. The darkness is pervading, and plays strange and frightful tricks with you mind and vision. Surely soon, you will stop to rest. What’s that? Light? No, how can that be here? But, yes, it is. Ahead of you, you see a steadily growing brightness.
As you round a sharp bend in the passageway, the tunnel opens into a large cavern. The air is wet with moisture, and a faint spume dampens the air. The cavern is spilt by a deep chasm from whose depths rises a cool damp breeze. On the far side of the chasm rise large tube-shaped trees that are aglow with a soft golden luminescence, that pushes back the darkness within this chamber.

The fungi trees are not edible, but a DC 10 Survival check will produce 1d6+Wisdom modifier gallons of water.
The party must find a way across the 30-foot wide chasm, or turn back and find another way. If they turn back pursuit gains +1.

Reaching the far side, you make your way carefully along a ledge following the cavern wall towards a dark opening that leads out of the fungi cavern. As you make your way along the ledge, you notice deep gouge marks in the rock face as if by some large four fingered clawed hand. As you place your hand against the gouges to measure them, you realise whatever manner of beast it might be would have a hand more than three times that of your own!

NPC. Stool is scared and sticks to his favorite PC very closely. He chatters constantly about his lovely fungal garden.
PURSUIT. -1 chasm crossing


Day 2. Evening
NPC. Jimjar bets a PC that he can find more food when foraging on this day. He gambles rations of food and water.

The way ahead has narrowed, the tunnel becoming confining and claustrophobic, forcing you to travel in single file. For the last quarter hour your way has been a hazard of braining your skull against the low ceiling, pushing your way through pinch-points in the tunnel, and a constant ache in your lower back from being hunched over.
Suddenly, your file-leader gives a cry as he falls to the earth.
Dexterity DC 12 saving throw or plunge into 20-foot deep (fall, 2d10 damage), 10-foot long sinkhole through a thin crust of shale.

NPC. Ront the orc can't stand the close quarters and begins berating the group leader for bringing them this way.
PURSUIT.


Day 3. Morning
These tunnels are noticeably warmer than the areas you have previously traversed. The walls are lined with a glowing green moss that sheds a dim green bioluminescence.
A high pitched whistling sound suddenly pierces the silence. With a blistering roar, a fissure in the tunnel wall vents a cloud hot steaming gases.
Dexterity DC 12 saving throw. Choose one creature as target (3d6 damage, save for half); plus adjacent creatures (2d6, save for none).
NPC. During the night, a PC notices Topsy and Turvy nervously whispering to each other.


Day 4. Evening
NPC. Eldeth flirts with a PC.
This wide tunnel is covered in a deep layer of viscous mud some 2-feet deep. It is a hard slog, and some of your companions are having a particularly hard time of it. With a squelching pop, one of your companions suddenly plunges deep into the mud.
Strength DC 12 saving throw. Failure results in a sinking creature. Anyone rushing to their aid must make a DC 10 Dexterity save to avoid stepping into the muddy sinkhole if they move adjacent to the sinking creature. Roll save on 2nd round as creature sinks (advantage if with assistance). If fails disappears and drowns..

As you drag yourselves from the muddy embrace of the cavern and feel the relative safety of hard stone beneath your feet once more, one of your companions notices a large furry leg protruding from the edge of the mud not far away.
A giant spider drowned in the mud here. Close by is a recess in the cavern wall filled with webbing. The spider was knocked from the web by a mimic, which then ate all the eggs in the nest. It is still lairing here.
Investigating the hairy leg, you notice a crevice in the wall and ceiling filled with webbing and the husked remains of the creature’s larder. In addition to the desiccated remains of various beasts, you see the relatively fresh remains of a kua-toa. It wears a leather harness, a hand axe on its belt. Stuck in the webbing is a spear and a small chest.

TREASURE. Stone flint hand axe and spear. Leather harness. On a roll of 1 these weapon’s blades shatter, rendering the weapons destroyed.
The chest is a mimic.
PURSUIT. -1 mudlake. +1 encounter


Day 5. Morning
The tunnel the heroes are in clearly slopes downward, causing great dismay. After a few minutes travel the tunnel floor becomes submerged in a few feet of cool water.
NPC. Buppiddo “color me surprised. Now he wants to drown us”
NPC. Shuushar speaks of pacifism and enlightenment. He rambles on a bit about Sloobludop and someone named "Plooploopleen". He is excited that these watery tunnels are familiar. He believes he can guide the group to Sloobludop, and that home can’t be more than a claw of days away.
PURSUIT. -1 water


Day 6. Night
Another never-ending march spent delving ever deeper into the depths of the world below. The weight of untold stone seems to press down upon ever heavier upon you, and the endless night is an ever-present dread that grips at your crumbling courage. After many hours of tireless travel you encounter a long chamber, the floor of which is covered in a deep bed of dry dark sand. One of your companions finds the remains of an old campsite.
Safe campsite. No hazards.
NPC. Ront is hungry and starts eating Stool.
PURSUIT. ?


Day 7. Morning
UNDERDARK CAVERNS MAP OF MYSTERY
The group enter the map from the south-east passage.
1 ) Exit to Dark-lake.
2 ) Stone Slab Bridges. These thick slabs of stone have been chiselled and carved into place. Alien glyphs decorate the rising edge of each stone bridge.
The symbol is a duegar glyph meaning danger ahead.

3 ) Staircase. You begin to feel a growing warmth as you ascend this steadily rising staircase of stone. A thick mass of twisting vines rise floor to ceiling within the centre of this small cavern, which is some 30-feet in diameter. The vines sooty orange bioluminescence illuminates the chamber, revealing an exit to your right. From small fissures in the cavern floor near the vines, an updraft of steam baths vines and cavern in a humid warmth.
This cavern is home to 3 steam mephitis.
TREASURE. In and about the steaming fissures can be found the following: 27cp, 11sp, 3gp, 10gp hematite (x7), and a magical dagger (silverlight).

4 ) Crystal Cave. In the distance you can see a pale green light. As you approach, a harmony of strange dissonance grows louder. Entering the cavern before you, you see crystalline formations of glittering emerald humming softly and shedding a vibrant green illumination throughout the area. Mushrooms, some as tall as 30-feet soar to the cavern ceiling. The floor of the chamber is covered in lichens, small fungal brothers to their larger cousins, and a plethora of tiny insect like creatures that crawl and dart about the flora.
Each cavern can be harvested for 2d4 trillimac stalks with a DC 5 Survival check. Crystal shards chipped from a formation will continue to glow for 1d6+1 days before fading. They shed dim light in a 5-foot radius.
The crystals emit zones of faerzess.

5 ) The Span. A water-slick span of glistening granite spans the width of the river here. Some 10-feet wide, its 40-foot length disappears into a shadowy opening on the far side.

6 ) Underground River. These cold waters churn and eddy as they plunge along their coarse, driven by the surging falls of a waterfall that thunders nearby.
Anyone swimming the river must make a swimming check (Survival DC 15), or be pulled 50 feet down current by the river.
There is a 40% chance 1d2 hungry giant frogs will be attracted by their activity.

7 ) Howling Eye. A constant drone like some sepulchral dirge echoes from the darkness before you.
This shaft of darkness drops more than a mile into the bowels of the Underdark.

8 ) Balcony. This balconies of stone are home to a colony of giant frogs. Each balcony is home to 1d4 frogs, although there is a 40% chance the area is deserted while they are about the river hunting for dinner.

9 ) Confluence. A large cavern opens up before you, and small islands of barren stone divert a river into cascading torrents that travel east and west. On a stony ledge beside the river to the north, a circle of tall tubular luminescent trees baths the river in a pale yellow light. Directly across from the small islands in the river the cavern appears to open up into a number of shadowed tunnels.

10 ) Waterfall. An eighty foot tall wall of water plunges in a mighty torrent to the river below.

PURSUIT. -2 for water hazards. +1 for each encounter.
NPC. Bupiddo will use any opportunity to push a member down the howling eye.
Uses minor illusion to deceive someone into stepping to close to ledge Dexterity save DC 13 or fall. “O my, that looks edible”
Fail save - “Damn, some people are to clumsy to live!”.

 

[Amatiel]

Currently just started Dark-lake chapter.
Sloobludop
Kuo-toa. Fish like behaviour. Always moving. No eye-lids, never blink.

Shuushar is the younger son of the archpriest of the Sea Mother, the priest Ploopploopleen. Shuushar believes his mother will aid them, for saving his life. His farther is hugely diasapointed in his pacifist lifestyle.

On arriving at the docks, they are halted by Kua-toa patrol, and auguries consulted. See Docks description. Something “shiny” (gems) may help the augury (bribe) – Diplomacy 10 or offended and automatically a bad omen. Taken prisoner to Deep father shrine for sacrifice.

Ploopploopleen. See “baiting the hook”. Priest explains how there are 2 factions. Wants the group to act part in ritual, and then help overthrow “bad” faction. Will reward them 

Ritual Offering. One way or another escorted to the Alter of the Deep Father.

There is already a duegar here, Hemmel, also about to be sacrificed.

The kua-toa surrounding the alter, numbering in the hundreds, begin a strange sibilant chant, and start moving in a schooling pattern about the alter. Their passage takes them into the shallows of the lake where they splash fervently, raising their claws to the air in sprays of water. Their wailing sibilant voices sounds like someone with a mouth full of water trying to scream, and it’s hard to decide whether to laugh at this spectacle or to plug your ears and try to hide!

After some ten minutes or so of this crazed activity, the fish-folk have worked them-selves into a religious frenzy. Their once steady circling of the alter has become a sprint, and those to slow to keep up are trampled under-foot. The claws of the whips that watch over you are trembling in their anticipation of rending your flesh upon the alter of the Deep father in the glory of his name!

You notice that a number of fish-folk entering the waters of the lake are being dragged under by something hidden in the waters, and a reddish stain is spreading across the lake in the shallows. The fervour of the kua-toa has them oblivious to the happenings of those around them.

Schooling with the inner circle, you see Ploopploopleen passing behind the High Priestess Bloppbllppodd with his cadre. Suddenly, he stops. Driving his spear deeply, it bursts from her chest in a spray of blood.

Blood on her lips, she cries out, LEEMOOGGOOGON ! before collapsing into a pool of her own blood.

Chaos erupts about the alter as kuo-toa fights kua-toa in a bloody and viscous battle.

Let the PCs decide what they want to do. Fight, Flee, raid the market for gear?

Demogorogon Rises!
Read description and show picture.
Madness saving throw Charisma DC 13
If fail, roll for madness on Demogorgon chart.

Escape?
Most likely steal keelboats and flee.

 

[Celtavian]

I'm back. I've taken a nice long break. My friends are willing to finish this module, so I figured I'd give it a go. I have some new ideas for monster and encounter creation. I'll see if they make running the game more enjoyable. I should at least finish the module this time around, but I don't know if I'll come to like 5E if the new ideas don't work.

 

[ddebock]

I've been reading this thread while prepping for OOTA. After scouring the internet looking for ideas on getting ready to run OOTA this thread and the descriptions and personal changes you have been making have been the most helpful by far. I'm a fairly new DM and will be attempting this module in two weeks. Just wanted to say thanks for putting all the work into this thread and look forward to what you come up with next.

 

[Valwyn]

Celtavian,

I *love* what you have done with the demon lord madness here. You mention you were going to do that for each of the demon lords? By chance do you have that in a file you would be willing to share?

Thanks
Valwyn


[h=2]Madness of Zuggtymoy[/h]

MADNESS OF ZUGGTMOY d100 Flaw (madness level determines duration)

01-20 "I see visions in the world around me that others do not." (Make Wisdom save when stressed or react to vison as though it is real. Player has Disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom checks and saving throws when attempting to discern the real from the false such as Perception Checks, Investigation Checks, Checks to discern Illusions, or the like. DM should determine if effect causes Disadvantage.)

21 - 40 "I periodically slip into a catatonic state, staring off into the distance for long stretches at a time." (Make Wisdom save or do nothing but stare off into space. You are incapacitated and have 0 movement.)

41-60 "I see an altered version of reality, with my mind convincing itself that things are true even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.'' (Make a Wisdom save or suffer effect of phantasmal killer (1-3) or phantasmal force (4-6). Must make save every round to shrug off the effect. If Madness level is longer than an hour, you must make a new save or suffer the effect again after you complete a short or long rest.)

61 - 80 "My mind is slipping away, and my intelligence seems to wax and wane." (Make Wisdom save or lose point of intelligence. If madness longer than an hour make save after completing short or long rest or lose 1 point of intelligence. Intelligence loss can be cured with greater restoration or 1 point of intelligence cured per long rest after madness is cured.)

81 - 00 "I am constantly scratching at unseen fungal infections." (Make Wisdom save every hour or scratch self for 1 point of necrotic or slashing damage per hour.)Save DCs: The DCs for madness effects vary.

DM Notes: I wanted madness to have a more tangible effect on the PCs if they became afflicted. I'm only using the madness of individual demon lords rather than the generic DMG madness options. I want everything tied to the demon lords. I feel the demon lords driving PCs mad further drives home the chaos they will bring upon the land should they not be stopped. I'll be adding a table like this for every demon lord the PCs encounter.
​

 

[Celtavian]

I have Baphomet done. I'll post it when I get home.

 

[Valwyn]

Thank you!

 

[Celtavian]

MADNESS OF BAPHOMET

MADNESS OF BAPHOMET: If a creature goes mad, roll d100 to see what type of madness afflicts them (lasts until cured by greater restoration).

01-20 "My anger consumes me. I can't be reasoned with when my rage has been stoked."
Effect: When you engage in battle, you will not retreat, surrender, or grant mercy. Every fight is to the death for the duration of the madness.

21-40 "I degenerate into beastly behavior, seeming more like a wild animal than a thinking being."
Effect: Your intelligence becomes 2. You act as a predatory animal for the duration of the madness.

41-60 "The world is my hunting ground. Others are my prey."
Effect: You have an insatiable need to hunt and kill. You will do nothing but hunt and kill for the duration of the madness. You will not negotiate and kill anything you come across. You become Chaotic Evil for the duration of the madness.

61-80 "Hate comes easily to me and explodes into rage."
Effect: You hate everything and anyone that angers you, you attack. This continues for the duration of the madness.

81-00 "I see those who oppose me not as people, but as beasts meant to be preyed upon.''
Effect: You attack anyone that opposes you in anyway. You will hunt them until they are dead even if they run or surrender for the duration of the madness.

 

[Celtavian]

Posted the Madness of Baphomet. Sorry for the late post.