D&D 5E Rebooting Dungeon of the Mad Mage

[pukunui]

Hi all,

I am running DotMM for one of my regular groups. Our last session before the holiday break resulted in a (voluntary) TPK.

The PCs, all level 7, made a second attempt at taking on the drow priestess, T’rissa Auvryndar, and her minions in their lair on level 3.

One PC ended up as giant spider food, and the other three were subdued. As per the adventure text, I told the players that the drow would implant their PCs with spider eggs and string them up in the webs. I gave them the option of trying to escape, but they didn’t think there was much hope so opted to make new PCs and continue the adventure.

I had been sort of using the “multiverse game show” theme from the DotMM Companion, but now I’m thinking I’ll make it so Halaster wants this new group of PCs to clear out the dungeon so he can restock it fresh for the next season. So these guys won’t be broadcast “on air”.

I think I will also skip ahead by about a month in game.

So what I need to figure out is the drow situation on level 3. The first group of PCs managed to wipe out most of T’rissa’s forces. She’s got a few drow left, including the mage, and some giant spiders and that’s about it.

She can’t easily get to her sister on level 4 because the Legion of Azrok guards the way down. The hobgoblins, however, won’t necessarily know that the drow are badly hurt, and their boss is still without his magic dagger that gives him blindsight.

Should I just make it so nothing has really changed on level 3? Or should I make it so the hobgoblins have defeated / driven out the drow and are in the midst of reoccupying that part of the level? Or should I make it so T’rissa’s mother sends her some reinforcements?

I think my players want to get revenge, so T’rissa either needs to stay on level 3, or she needs to withdraw to a lower level so they can encounter her again later.

If the hobgoblins were to take T’rissa prisoner and hold her for ransom, do you think her mother would pay to get her back? I know Lolthian drow aren’t particularly loving or affectionate, but being a female member of a noble house should count for something, shouldn’t it?


We are hoping to play our next session on Monday, so I’ve got a few days more to think about this.

If you have any ideas, please share them with me!

Happy new year!
Jonathan

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Dont forget she has now all of the previous PCs loaded with spider eggs with her!

I'd make them...Webbed Mummies!

Use the Mummy statblock and add them the burrowing worm feature of the Spawn of Kyuss (MtToF), refflufed as burrowing spiderlings instead of rotting fist. Also add the Nurtured One of Yurtus' Corrupted Carrier feature and Corrupted Vengeance.

Burrowing Worm. (Action)
A worm launches from the spawn of Kyuss at one humanoid that the spawn can see within 10 feet of it. The worm latches onto the target's skin unless the target succeeds on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw. The worm is a Tiny undead with AC 6, 1 hit point, a 2 (-4) in every ability score, and a speed of 1 foot. While on the target's skin, the worm can be killed by normal means or scraped off using an action (the spawn can use this action to launch a scraped-off worm at a humanoid it can see within 10 feet of the worm). Otherwise, the worm burrows under the target's skin at the end of the target's next turn, dealing 1 piercing damage to it. At the end of each of its turns thereafter, the target takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage per worm infesting it (maximum of 10d6). A worm-infested target dies if it drops to 0 hit points, then rises 10 minutes later as a swarm of spiders. If a worm-infested creature is targeted by an effect that cures disease or removes a curse, all the worms infesting it wither away.

Corrupted Carrier.
When the orc is reduced to 0 hit points, it explodes, and any creature within 10 feet of it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 14 (4d6) poison damage and becomes poisoned. On a success, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't poisoned. A creature poisoned by this effect can repeat the save at the end of each of its turn, ending the effect on itself on a success. While poisoned by this effect, a creature can't regain hit points.

Corrupted Vengeance. (Action)
The orc reduces itself to 0 hit points, triggering its Corrupted Carrier trait.

 

[Maxperson]

Is the Chimera still alive? If so, she would probably bring that to her lair to be reinforcements. She might also "recruit" from the surface, so you could add some ogres or other fairly easy surface dwellers with darkvision.

 

[LordEntrails]

Dont forget she has now all of the previous PCs loaded with spider eggs with her!

I'd make them...Webbed Mummies!

No no. Driders! Turn the former party into driders and other spider-like abominations. Make the new party kill the old party.

It's with these new minions that T'rissa is able to maintain her strength on level 3.

 

[pukunui]

Interesting ideas! I do like the idea of using the previous PCs against the new ones!

@Maxperson: The chimera is dead. T’rissa just has her forces in the temple, plus some of the drow in the torture suites (including her sister/s - can’t remember if there’s one or two there). The previous party cleared out Drow Town, killed all the quaggoths, killed or freed all the trogs, etc.

Oh, there will still be those drow sentries positioned by the river near the bottom of the map as well. I suppose T’rissa could recall (some of) them.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Is she a high ranking priestess? She could have a few summoned yochlol with her.

Maybe 1 or 2 ettercap cultists of Lolth? (using the Fiend warlock from VGtM and adding it the traits of the ettercaps)

 

[Maxperson]

Is she a high ranking priestess? She could have a few summoned yochlol with her.

Maybe 1 or 2 ettercap cultists of Lolth? (using the Fiend warlock from VGtM and adding it the traits of the ettercaps)

Yochlol are probably beyond a level 7 party. My group basically knocked on her door and then went two rooms away to long rest, alerting her to their presence and then sitting there close by. I looked for demons she might summon and discarded the Yochlol as too powerful. I had a Vrock show up instead.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Yochlol are probably beyond a level 7 party. My group basically knocked on her door and then went two rooms away to long rest, alerting her to their presence and then sitting there close by. I looked for demons she might summon and discarded the Yochlol as too powerful. I had a Vrock show up instead.

uh, never noticed they were CR 10 demons. I mostly know them from the Drizzt comic book, where every priestess hangs with a bunch of those demons, so I thought they were like pimped-up quasit or something like that.

 

[pukunui]

I did have her attempt to summon a yochlol previously, but she failed and took the psychic damage. The mage succeeded in summoning a shadow demon, though.

Mechanically, she's just a drow priestess of Lolth. Storywise, she's one of her mother's many daughters, and the first one the PCs encounter. Her mother's down on level 11 or 12 (whatever level Muiral's Gauntlet is). T'rissa has (had) several sisters and a brother on level 3 with her, plus a sister on level 4. There may be some more siblings with their mother but I don't remember any others.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

You could always change her prepared spells to give her summon such as summon Bestial Spirit (Spiders), Summon Lesser/Greater Demons or Summon Celestial Spirit (Avenger). Those could help in a pinch to have her magically gain some henchmen.

Any possibility of animating the dead chimera as an undead creature? Skeletal or Zombie Chimera would be awesome.