WIR S1 Tomb of Horrors [SPOILERS!! SPOILERS EVERYWHERE!!]‏

Stoat

Adventurer
I understand letting the conversation for each room/area have time before bringing up the next room/area, but maybe giving more than a week between is too much?

Bullgrit

This is the most lucid, concise and on-topic thread on EN World. I think it can stand to age a little. Like a fine wine that no-one wants to open lest it spoil.

I find myself dragging my feet a little as we get closer and closer to Area 33. I've enjoyed this project a great deal, and I'll be a little bummed when its over.

Also, ENWorld was titanically laggy for a couple of days there, and I didn't feel like wrestling with it.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Flatus Maximus

First Post
I've enjoyed this project a great deal, and I'll be a little bummed when its over.

When it's over (sniff), maybe you can start a "Should Acererak have an advantage?" thread?

Anyway: It's been 6 months and I still can't XP you for this thread! I'll get around to it, eventually...
 

A

amerigoV

Guest
I find myself dragging my feet a little as we get closer and closer to Area 33. I've enjoyed this project a great deal, and I'll be a little bummed when its over.

I gotta admit is about the only thing that is holding me here these days. So please, take your time and lets savor it.
 

FoxWander

Adventurer
I've enjoyed this project a great deal, and I'll be a little bummed when its over.
I agree. Although we could continue the conversation by trying to fix the many problems we've found throughout the adventure. We all agree that although the Tomb is certainly a great, classic dungeon it is far from perfect- or even lucid in some parts. We could try to collectively make a "Tomb of Horrors 2.0" that fixes all the bugs of the original. :cool:
 


Votan

Explorer
I think that might be a thing for a different thread. And I expect a cornucopia of contradicting ideas for it. ;)

True, but all good things have their end and holding on to them past their time is never a good thing. Besides, I really, really want to talk about area 33 and I am an impatient person. :)
 

Stoat

Adventurer
Well let's keep moving.

Area 30. The False Treasure Room

This rectangular chamber is 50 feet wide and 40 feet deep. It is elaborately decorated to look like a tomb. The ceiling is polished silver. The walls are ivory inlaid with gold. The floor is polished agate. Immediately across from the entrance is a large bronze urn. Behind the urn is a granite sarcophagus with glyphs of inlaid platinum on the lid. A pair of massive iron chests flank the sarcophagus. Finally, each corner of the room holds an iron statue depicting a 9 foot tall warrior. Each statue holds a different weapon going around the room clockwise from the northwest corner the weapons held are: a huge, spike-ended mace; a saw-toothed zweihander raised to strike; a wickedly spiked morning star; a voulge (see Unearthed Arcana, Appendix "T", page 126,). There are no visible exits.

The room is magic proofed. No spells will work within the room, and no magical properties of any item will work except those that detect magic and evil.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ToH_Gallery/ToHGraphic30.jpg

A. Bronze Urn: The urn is very large and covered with gold filigree. A thin stream of smoke pours out of thin slot in the stopper. The Urn contains an Efreet. If the PC's delicately open the urn, the Efreet will "perform 3 services for the party and then depart." If the joggle the urn around while they try to open it, the Efreet will get pissed off and attack them.

B. Granite Sarcophagus: The platinum glyphs on the lid of the sarcophagus spell out "ACERERAK". The far end of the sarcophagus has been bashed in, and the party can see bones and a broken Staff of the Magi within. Obviously Mr. A is dead, and we can all go home now.

C. Iron Chests: The iron chests are too big to move. Each is locked with "tripple locks set with poison needle traps." The chests are a trick. One holds 10,000 gems that look really valuable but arent'. The other holds 10,000 copper pieces magicked up to look like platinum pieces. Nelson Munz would be proud.

There's a secret door behind Mace-Wielding statue in the northwest corner. It takes three strong characters to move it. Hidden behind the statue is a pull ring that raises a plug of stone that leads down 10 feet to a short corridor.

IMO: "The iron men of visage grim do more than meets the viewers eye. You've left and left and found my Tomb and now your soul will die." The last two couplets of Acererak's riddle start by describing the statues in Area 30 clearly enough. The statues are the closest things to "iron men of visage grim" in the whole joint. I don't know if there's any clue pointing to the right statue or not. I think "left and left" applies to Area 32. But the PC's have all the time in the world if they want it, and trial and error will find the secret exit if they decide to start pushing statues around.

As for the treasures, it's always useful to have the services of an Efreet. The fake gems and coins might fool the players, but not for long.
 

Freakohollik

First Post
I doubt any party that got this far would be fooled by the fake treasure room.

The genie is sort of interesting, but I'd guess a lot of parties would poke and prod at the urn before opening it. In this case caution is to your detriment. Missing out on the wishes sucks, but a single genie isn't strong enough to threaten a party of the recommended levels for this module.
 

I think "the iron men of visage grim do more than meets the viewer's eye" is a pretty crappy part of the riddle. The statues don't do anything.

If the riddle were something like "the iron men of visage grim hide (mumble mumble rhymes with 'die')" that would make more sense.

Also, the fake gems and coins painted to look like more valuable coins is a total cliche. An organically played 14th level AD&D character would have encountered this trick multiple times by this level.

It's also completely obnoxious and pointless. No adventuring party worth the name is going to be either fooled or deterred by fake treasure.
 

Bullgrit

Adventurer
Area 30. The False Treasure Room
Something that immediately stands out to me as funny, is the description of the statues’ weapons. The first three weapons are described with spikes or saw teeth, but the fourth is simply a voulge. And sadly, that’s not even a clue.

The statues radiate magic and evil, (the only detection spells that work in this room), and the clue poem at the beginning of the Tomb says “The iron men of visage grim do more than meets the viewers eye.” [sic] But these statues aren’t magical, aren’t evil, and don’t actually do anything. So as much as I’ve complained that there are no clues in the Tomb for the Players/PCs to use, here we have at least four clues, yet they are completely useless. The clues aren’t even reverse psychology, or misleading to danger. They’re just useless.

The urn, sarcophagus, and two chests: It would good to get service from the Efreet in the urn, but the other containers are just tricks, (not traps). Again, *no clues* for the Players/PCs to deduce the best action with these.

It’s like Gygax intentionally designed this Tomb to be infuriatingly frustrating. And I believe he did – it’s part of the whole ambiance of the Tomb. The Tomb’s nonsense is maddening. This whole thing is a torture chamber of the body *and* mind. For some Players this might be fun and hilarious; for other Players this could be stupid and a waste of time.

Bullgrit
 

Remove ads

Top