Baabla & Muumbo - The Amazing Magic Mouths

A dungeon puzzle for children or adults with child-like minds.

“Your torch flickers as the stone slab shifts, a light breeze escapes the antechamber before you. Inside, on the north wall are a pair of stone doors ornately decorated with dancing minstrels and magical symbols. The stone mantel depicts a laughing wizard, his split, braided beard framing the doors with intricate knot work. Beyond these magically locked doors are treasures and wondrous items the Kingdoms haven’t seen in over a thousand years. The other walls contain the carved images of two cherubic faces, one smiling, the other frowning. Upon entering, their eyes shift slightly to you, their mouths animate and they speak with human voices.”

Baabla: “Welcome to Thentian’s Halls. I am Baabla.”

Muumbo: “And I, Muumbo the mythteriouth.”

Baabla: “Only bwave hewoes that possess secwet knowledge may pass thwough the gateway before you.”

Muumbo and Baabla are your classic D&D 1e talking magic mouths. You couldn't throw a sling-stone in the old days without hitting one or five of them. They are fully sentient, though not terribly aware, nor are they particularly bright. 

These particular magic mouths were one of the Great Thentian’s first creations, but his Quasit familiar Iggirath befouled one of the critical spell components in their magical construction, (he provided his master with the teeth of a common groundhog, rather than those of a silver-back beaver). This has caused a significant speech impediment in both of the talking mouths. 

Whenever Baabla tries to form ‘r’ sounds, they instead are pronounced as ‘w’s, (I’m told the medical term here is Rhotacism). Muumbo has a frontal or dental lisp, causing his ‘s’ sounds to come out as a soft ‘th’ sound. Loony Toons character, 'Elmer Fudd’, could not pronounce ‘r’ sounds and Beavis and Butthead’s, ‘Butthead’, had a dental lisp. If you as a GM can already perform these character impressions, you already have Baabla and Muumbo down. If not, write down possible answers to questions the party may ask or information you would like the Magic Mouths to convey. Then change the 'r's to 'w's and the 's's to 'th's. Now you read the imperfections into their lines.

Aleena Daybringer: “What are you?”

Baabla: “We are the amazing cweations of the wise Thentian, ewected here a thousand years ago.”

Muumbo: “We are the thentinalth of the gate, and protectorth, of the thecrets that lie beyond.”

Dalmet Slytongue: “Is the door trapped? Is there a key, or a way to safely pass?”

Baabla: “Yes, the hewoes must stand fowth with outstwetched awms and speak the password that only Muumbo knows.”

Aleena Daybringer: “Muumbo..."

Muumbo: "Yeth?

Aleena Daybringer: "What is the password?”

Muumbo: “The pathword, ith… [pausing for dramatic effect]... Thentian’th Thong!”

Dalmet Slytongue: “Thentian’s Thong? Really?

Grungir Broadbeard: “I always wondered what those mad wizards wore under their frilly robes.”

Wise Thentian turned Iggirath’s error into a puzzle that protects his lair. By allowing only Muumbo to speak the password, Thentian knew that he would be unable to give it away to would-be thieves. Only when someone in the party ‘stands forth with outstretched arms’ and says, ‘Thentian’s Song’ will the doors open.

Iggirath... that little shit!

I hope you enjoyed this puzzle as much as I did writing it. In my home-brew campaign, Thentian was an ancient wizard of a bygone era and the party found several marks of his passing throughout their adventures. In an analogous incident, Iggirath the familiar managed to corrupt one of Thentian’s other magical creations: The Orb of Power. A thousand years later, Iggirath, now a more powerful demon, managed to return to the material plane for the cursed item. …but where did Thentian hide it?

High axe friends!

I go.

Some Original Puzzles and Riddles for Your Game

There are as many methods as there are game masters when it comes to implementing riddles and puzzles. I will try to keep my opinion on this short and sweet. The good stuff is always at the bottom.

Here's some facts:

They are mind boggling, their obvious nature only made obvious after the answer is given, (hand smacks forehead). When you're looking for riddles and puzzles, read it first and see if you can solve it yourself. Don't skip straight to the answer. This will give you an idea what your players are going through.

Players will feel very accomplished if they feel they solved a true dilemma with only whit and mind. There are methods to give clues, hints, etc... but defeating a riddle with with a knowledge check is lackluster.

Players will NOT feel stupid if they can't solve it. Rather, they will feel the riddle or puzzle was too obscure, poorly written, unfairly dropped on them, etc. Will they curse the Gods for their cruel, fickle ways? No - they will curse you, the GM. Your ears will itch and you will suck.


My rant, (or, 'what works best for me'):

Since the Hobbit, riddles and puzzles are classic tropes in high fantasy. They should rhyme, or at least contain a meter that provides an air of mystery when spoken. Tolkien never listed a sequence of prime numbers, expecting poor Frodo to remember 4th grade math with Ms. Barreltoes. They were well-crafted poems. Riddles that begin with "I start with an E and end with a..." ...are not worthy for a fantasy setting - but admittedly, I get snobbish about riddles.

Riddles and puzzles are for 'extras'. They are rewards, not plot contingent obstacles that must be solved. If being able to solve a riddle is essential to the completion of your story arc, then they will need to earn enough clues in future sessions so that they eventually get it.

Players need time to solve riddles and puzzles, but this stops the train of progress and kills all forward momentum. Time your riddles to appear at or very near the end of your session. This gives them a whole week (or more) to contemplate the answer, leaving them with a 'cliff-hanger'. If the riddle comes mid-session, I only let them spend ten minutes on it and then the train is moving on. They will have to come back to it. Spending hours on a riddle, even if solved, will leave people feeling that time could have been better spent (despite what they politely tell you).

Players may not be able to solve a riddle or puzzle. Fine. Leave it and don't tell them the answer because it destroys the mystery. It is part of human nature to want to tell the secret. Please resist. I have also seen GMs help the players brainstorm, working it out by dropping unearned clues. This also kills the moment and blemishes the craft.

Better to use a riddle or puzzle that was too easy, than one that is too hard.


An Original Puzzle for Your Game:

I had a player come to me seeking Celestial Armor for his Gold Dragon Disciple. He wanted to know if he saved the money, could the PC buy it. (Not possible in our low-magic world.) After considering it, I hinted, "You should ask an oracle." A session or two later, he did:

Oracle: “Though mystery abides in future bleak, In Kindness lies the thing you seek.”

He started being extra kind to everyone and everything. He tended to sick animals and looked for people needing healing everywhere he went. He was more merciful, and looked for ways to be 'more kind'. Frankly, he became the gold dragon in practice he had been striving to become stat-wise all along. A really nice touch to our story. Oh those oracles! So wise!

Five or six sessions later, he was pouring over one of the maps of our home-brew world, the 13 Kingdoms. The party had been chasing a loose Glabrezu and a necromancer with a wight army.  Suddenly, he saw it: a village named "Kindness" just off of southeastern shore of Lake Azure. It had been sitting there all along! Ages ago, an Archon disobeyed his Goddess when she commanded him to protect her followers rather than defend her. While penitently kneeling, she turned him into a statue to await his day of redemption. As the years went by and the story forgotten, a temple was built up around him, and a small town, named Kindness, slowly grew. Now, the Archon was just 'a very realistic statue' in the local temple. The player found the statue, and recognized the armor, but couldn't figure out how to get it. As enemies closed, he was freed by the Goddess for the final battle, only to fall to the demon. In the end, the character got to avenge him, and keep the celestial armor he wore. A prize earned.

This idea can be worked into any game, as long as the oracle (or Goddess, or magical being, etc.) can speak from a place of absolute authority. Another example of this type of puzzle:

"Though mystery abides,
The secret hides,
Though not alone,
Beneath King's Throne."

The secret which is not alone, is of course guarded beneath the King's Throne, (a cheap inn run by a ex-adventuring halfling curmudgeon named Vann. Perhaps there is a sarcophagus there from an ancient pyramid, magically sealed. He could never get it opened... nor was he willing to part with it). Once the riddle has gone on long enough, (perhaps after they realize that breaking into the actual King's royal throne-room lands you in prison,) you can stick the damn inn wherever you want for them to bumble into. If they realize it may be the name of an establishment ahead of time, I'd consider that a nat 20 on the knowledge check once they start asking around.


Here's an old riddle that I've made rhyme:


Sometimes white,
Above the trees,
Sometimes gray,
Moved by breeze.
Sometimes black,
When they are wetting,
Sometimes red,
When Sun is setting.


This is another that fits perfectly in fantasy settings.

This thing has forests,
But it has no trees.
It has no water,
In its rivers and seas.
Its cities and towns,
Have no abodes.
Not a single horse,
Treads its bridges and roads.


This is one of my original works, it is difficult but with some contemplation, they'll get it:

White all over,
Without feeling,
Void inside,
Lifeless being.
Rows of pearl,
Breathless maw,
Twins in shadow,
Once they saw.

Another original with a more 'bardic' feel:

Have you ever seen a bird so swift and fleet?
Fingers guide the string to its seat.
Then pulled to ear with one eye squinting,
Its metal beak in sunlight glinting.

The Demon's Dream Door:

The party enters a 15' x 15' room with a pedestal in the middle, and a magically sealed door on the far wall with an iron demonic face encircling the keyhole. A small fire pit lay to the left and there are some indications a party may have slept on the right side, (food scraps, a wine cork and a stone scratched with dwarven runes, "Grongnir High-Axe used this as a pillow.") If someone casts detect magic, the keyhole faintly shines with an aura and there is illusion magic coming from the top of the pedestal. Creative characters can be rewarded by a semi-translucent key appearing on the pedestal, but no matter what they do, it can't be picked up or moved... the pedestal also bears this inscription:

Heroes must make a fire bright,
Then hold the key against the light.
A twin then made within the hall,
But dark it hangs upon the wall.
Now move it towards the demon's face,
And gently turn once put in place.
Little is what you think it seams.
For all must happen within your dreams.

The answer: The party must fall asleep and dream within the room. In the dream, they can light the fire and the key in the above description appears in its solid form. The key's shadow upon the wall is what unlocks the door. The party must manipulate the solid key in such a manner as to make the shadow enter the demon-faced keyhole, then 'gently turn'. They will all awaken then to the sound of grating stone as the door magically opens.

I will include the answers to the other riddles in a comment below. I hope you can use some of these and I would like to hear about your original ideas as well. If you disagreed with any of my rant at the beginning of this article, or if there is something I left out... say so in the comments below! Need an original piece for your dungeon or campaign? Send me your dark, twisted ideas and I will make it rhyme and blog about it.

High axe friends!

I go.

The Double Map Trick & Sample One-shot

Getting the map in front of your players can take time and momentum out of your game. This short adventure lets your map do ‘double-duty’. I think with less time drawing, adding tiles, etc., it creates  ‘smooth game flow’ and the 'preview style' increases anticipation for what's around the corner.

Into the Shadows:

The Plane of Shadow is a dark realm that mimics the material plane in general shape and content. Spatially however, one can travel for a few hours in this dangerous place and emerge back into the material plane many hundreds of miles away. This makes entering the Shadow Plane a great (dangerous) way for players to travel long distances in a short amount of time, especially for lower level adventurers that don’t have access to teleportation spells.

The twisted parody that is the Plane of Shadow gives the Game Master an opportunity to ‘get the battle map onto the board’ quickly with a relatively low challenge rating run through while on the Material Plane. At the end of the dungeon they find the entrance to the Shadow Plane and must fight their way out of the dungeon to get to their desired destination.

I chose Pathfinder Gods based on the Golarion setting and monsters from the www.d20pfsrd.com website, but you can rename things or choose a system that suits you. I played this with a party of three 10-12^th level characters but I’ll give suggestions for lower CR monsters. I hyperlinked the creatures in the text to the d20pfsrd website, but for quicker reference, I included the written stats for the customized creatures.

The Dungeon:

One hundred years ago, a Shadow Sorcerer named Xander Evershade created a refuge in an ancient darkwood forest known to the locals as “The Gloom”. Here, he erected the Shadow Shrine dedicated to Takaral, a servant of Nethys, the God of Magic. Beneath the holy site is a monument to Xander himself and a place to safeguard one of his most beloved magical items: The Orb of Evershade. With the death of Xander, his legacy was nearly forgotten and his shrine is naught but a ruinous dungeon. Furthermore, the once prized Orb has broken, and the nature of it changed forever.

Plop this dungeon anywhere on your world map. It sits in the center of a small but dense forest near a quiet village of people who have learned to NOT go out at night. The villagers may practice other superstitions or taboos, such as leaving a white candle burning at night, putting milk out for stray black cats, not stepping on a person’s shadow, etc.

Possible Story Hooks:

The purpose of this entry is to show an example of using ‘the double map concept’, but you may want some story hook ideas for integration into your campaign or for use as a one shot.

1.       Find Something/Someone: The party needs to retrieve an item from the Plane of Shadow such as special herbs to heal villagers from fey-shot. Players are hired to assassinate a villain who takes refuge there in the Black Pit of K’Rook. A ghoul sorcerer has stolen the Prince’s cod-piece and he wants it retrieved from his hiding place in the shadow plane.
2.       Travel: The party desperately needs to travel a long distance quickly and the Plane of Shadow is their only option. The party is being chased and the dungeon appears to be their only escape. 
3.       Diplomacy: Purchase H’luittsta, magical harp from the Dark Symphony. Clear a trade route for the Silverhand Merchant Company to the outpost of Murkvale. The wizard Allezaelia Wyvernspur, is tired of the rivalry between two of her apprentices. One resides in the Shadow Plane, and is refusing to answer her call for peace.     

The Adventure:

The Gloom - The canopy of this ancient darkwood forest is so thick and tangled, it creates low-light conditions except on the brightest of days. The locals do not travel here and there are no trails. Some encounter suggestions: a pack of black wolves (CR3), wargs (CR4) or dire wolves (CR5). They are led by an awakened wolf named Ulfda, or creature of similar kind with the advanced template added and an intelligence score of 6. They will stalk the party, seemingly gleaning enjoyment by tormenting them with howling during the day and glowing eyes from the darkness at night. They will feign to attack the camp, but scamper away using their speed and agility before the party can do any real damage. The party will get very little sleep or rest while in The Gloom. The pack will spring an all-out ambush just before the party reaches the Shrine.

Area 1. The Shadow Shrine (material plane): Rubble surrounds this crumbling 40’ tall domed building of grey stone. The walls are broken in multiple locations and two large doors made of Ironwood, soaked with black tar lay to the side of the main entrance, their missing hinges deteriorated long ago. The dome is remarkably intact but the painted ceiling which once depicted the night sky is pealing badly and the floor is covered with chips and wind-blown leaves. Each step of the depicted dais is 2’ in height. Intermittent webs span the interior, partially obscuring the dilapidated pillars and the 15’ tall stone statue of a skull-faced robed human looking downward with gaping jaw. It holds a representation of the black and white mask of Nethys in his left hand, the right is outstretched and turned upwards with curling fingers. Hundreds of drained husks of deer, wolves and the occasional adventurer hang from grey cocoons on the walls, ceiling and doorway. A spherical nest hangs just over the statue. A huge Ogre Spider (CR 5), has made its lair here, (use a giant black widow spider for lower CR3). The spider will attempt to flee to the Gloom if reduced to half its hit points. All treasure is incidental and it is time consuming to collect from the hanging bodies. Unless the players spend several hours cutting down corpses they will only discover a percentage of the treasure dropped on the floor and mixed in with the scattered refuse. The chamber to the southeast contains stairs leading down.

Area 2. Stairs (material plane): The 5’ wide spiral stairs turn several times, descending 40’ underground. It opens up into a chamber of dun colored stone with green moss moldering between the tiles. The ceilings are 10’ tall, (and will be in the dungeon unless otherwise noted). Halfway up the wall, there is a decorative band of wizardly faces carved in the stone. This motif continues throughout the dungeon. The doors are made from 6” thick Ironwood soaked with black tar and bound with decorative steel bands, (Hardness 5, HP 60). The sound of rattling chains comes from the room to the west. One turn after that noise begins, more rattling chains can be heard from the chamber to the east.

Area 3. Chamber (material plane): A bloody skeleton with a metal neck band resides in this room. This is firmly secured by four chains, each attached to the wall at differing points, prohibiting the skeleton from leaving the central square. It claws at the party desperately, but is otherwise unable to harm them unless they approach. If slain, it reanimates an hour later, still shackled by the band. There are some scattered bones from small woodland creatures in this room and some brown crumbling leaves, but nothing of value.

Area 4. Chamber (material plane): This room has three bloody skeletons wearing identical neck bands with short (3’) chains securing them to the walls (two on the east side and one on the west). There is a locked closet in the southeast corner of the room. It is filled with worthless pottery and containers for withered spell components.

Area 5. Chamber (material plane): Only the doors left in this chamber are on the closet (locked DC 20). A rodent (?) has chewed an 8” wide hole in the bottom right corner. There is clay chamber pot on the bottom shelf, seed casings, broken mirror shards, rodent droppings and an abandoned animal nest of some kind. A worthless oval mirror frame hangs on the inside of the door (1’ long).

Area 6. Well of Audience (material plane): The east and west doors to this room are locked (DC 20,) only the rusted hinges remain in the north wall entryway. In the center is a hexagonal stone well, ornate with images of several wizardly faces. Detect Magic reveals strong divination and minor illusion magic auras. The water is dark and of unknown depth with an illusion making a coin strewn bottom only appear a few feet down. The well is harmless, but if a coin is cast into the water, it bubbles and a draconic neck and face slowly forms from the water. It speaks, and offers to commune with beings from the elemental plane of water for the party as per the Contact Other Plane spell of the same name. 

Area 7. Chamber (material plane): The double doors on the north wall are locked (DC 20) and water pools around them. A perception check of DC 20 will reveal sounds of trickling water beyond. The doors are saturated and quite stuck (Strength Check DC 25 to burst). Brown, murky water in the hallway will pour into the room when opened, covering the floor. 

Area 8. Flooded Hallway (material plane): The north wall leaks water from an underground spring, and there is six inches of standing water in the hallway, waiting to be released into room 7. The double doors on the east wall are waterlogged as per the description in Room 7.

Area 9. Sanctum of Xander Evershade (material plane): The ceiling in this room rises 20’ at its peak. The stone walls are ornately carved and painted into murals of white skeletons dancing among the yellow stars and a silver crescent moon on midnight blue sky. Three-foot thick stone columns reinforce the arched ceiling, two of which have fallen. A dwarf will realize it was due to extreme violence, rather than the deterioration of the room which is otherwise sound. The 15’ tall statue of Xander Evershade crouches on a dais at east wall. The statue’s head is raised, casting its gaze to the vaulted ceiling. Both arms are outstretched, but the open hands that once held the orb have broken off and lie in pieces in front of the figure. The orb, which has broken into two halves, lies only 5’ away. A black, miasmic energy from the shadow plane spans between the two halves.

Orb of Evershade: This obsidian orb once had the power to cast Shade 1/day as the ninth level spell of the same name, (as well as any other abilities the GM desires). It no longer functions this way unless the party can figure out how to repair it. Drawing its might directly from the Plane of Shadow, its broken condition created an unexpected side effect: a portal to the plane of shadow stretches between the two halves. It is possible for someone to pass through the shadowy opening, grab the two halves and draw them back into the Shadow Plane. This would grant the party the ability to enter or exit the Plane of Shadow whenever they wish. GMs could rule that this is not possible, or have the halves both magically stuck to the ground. If the party tries to leave with the orb without entering the Plane of Shadow, the orb will magically dimension door back to the feet of Xander’s Statue or similar effect.

Now that party has reached the end of the dungeon and found the portal needed, they must retrace their steps through the same map, fighting their way through the dungeon’s shadowy parody. My players really enjoyed it and though they knew the basic shape and form of the rooms ahead, it actually created more anticipation to see how the contents of those rooms were now darkly twisted. I have included the monster stats in full for some of the encounters, taken from the d20pfsrd site with the Shadow Creature (CR+1) template already added for your convenience.

Area 9. Sanctum of Xander Evershade (Plane of Shadow):  “You emerge into an identical but colorless room of dull, flat grays, your light source seems only to be shining half the expected distance and the shadows it casts are of the deepest black. But there is little time to fully take in your surroundings as what was once the stone hands fallen from the statue of Xander now fly towards you. Shadowy wisps trail behind them as they grasp for your throat.”

(2) Shadowy Stone Hands of Xander, CR 4, XP 1200 each
N Medium construct, augmented outsider
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception –5

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 14 (+5 natural)
hp 36 (3d10+20)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will -4

Resist Cold/Electricity 5; SR 9
Defensive Abilities; hardness 8; Immune construct traits, Shadow Blend

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee slam +5 (1d6+3), Grab, Constrict

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 15
SQ 2 construction points (Grab & Strangle)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Grab (Ex) – upon any successful hit, a hand can attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. 

Strangle (Ex) - An opponent grappled by the creature cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components.

Shadow Blend (Su) - In any illumination other than bright light, a shadow creature blends into the shadows, giving it concealment (20% miss chance). A shadow creature can suspend or resume this ability as a free action.

The first person who sticks their head through the portal is in for a big surprise. Once the hands are defeated, the characters will notice this room is identical to the one they just left sans it is complexly colorless and a shadowy cloy that hangs on everything.  There are other minor variations such as the skeletons on the walls have black tears. 

Area 8. Flooded Hallway (Plane of Shadow): The floor here is wet and glistening, but this is no ordinary water. A conglomeration of Shadowy Gray Oozes lay in wait.

(1-6) Shadowy Gray Oozes CR 5, XP 1,600 each
N Medium ooze, augmented outsider
Init –5; Senses blindsight 60 ft.; Perception –5

DEFENSE

AC 5, touch 5, flat-footed 5 (–5 Dex)
hp 50 (4d8+32)
Fort +9, Ref –4, Will –4
Defensive Abilities ooze traits; Immune cold, fire Resist electricity 5, Shadow Blend, SR 10

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft.
Melee slam +6 (1d6+4 plus 1d6 acid and grab)
Special Attacks acid, constrict (1d6+1 plus 1d6 acid)

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 1, Con 26, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Base Atk +3; CMB +6 (+10 grapple); CMD 11 (can’t be tripped)
SQ transparent

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Acid (Ex) - The digestive acid that covers a gray ooze dissolves metals and organic material, but not stone. Each slam and constrict attack deals 1d6 additional acid damage. Armor or clothing worn by a creature grappled by a gray ooze takes the same amount of acid damage unless the wearer succeeds on a DC 20 Reflex saving throw. A wooden or metal weapon that strikes a gray ooze takes 1d6 acid damage unless the weapon’s wielder succeeds on a DC 20 Reflex save. The ooze’s touch deals 12 points of acid damage per round to wooden or metal objects, but the ooze must remain in contact with the material for 1 full round in order to deal this damage. The save DCs are Constitution-based. 

Transparent (Ex) - Due to its lack of vivid coloration, a gray ooze is difficult to discern from its surroundings in most environments. A DC 15 Perception check is required to notice the gray ooze. Any creature that fails to notice a gray ooze and walks into it automatically suffers damage as if struck by the ooze’s slam attack and is immediately subject to a grab attempt by the ooze. 

Shadow Blend (Su) - In any illumination other than bright light, a shadow creature blends into the shadows, giving it concealment(20% miss chance). A shadow creature can suspend or resume this ability as a free action.

Area 7. Chamber (Plane of Shadow): Any doors that were opened or broken on the material plane will be in a similar condition here. The Oozes from the hallway will follow the party into this room as quickly as they can. 

Area 6. Well Room (Plane of Shadow): A black serpentine head rises, comprised of dark water and shadowy tendrils. It attacks without provocation, will not retreat, speak or negotiate. It cannot leave the well, (making the listed CR slightly exaggerated), but will a new darkwater elemental will form one day after this one is slain.

Darkwater Elemental, CR 6, XP 2,400
NE Large augmented outsider (elemental, extraplanar, water)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural, –1 size)
hp 68 (8d10+24)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +2
DR 5/—; Immune elemental traits, Resist Cold/Electricity 5, SR 11

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., swim 90 ft.
Melee 2 slams +12 (1d8+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks drench, Improved Drag, water mastery

STATISTICS

Str 20, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +8; CMB +14; CMD 27
Feats Cleave, Dodge, Combat Reflexes, Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics +9, Escape Artist +11, Knowledge (planes) +5, Perception +9, Stealth +5, Swim +24
Languages Aquan

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Drench (Ex) - The elemental’s touch puts out non-magical flames of Large size or smaller. The creature can dispel magical fire it touches as dispel magic (CL8).

Improved Drag - Upon a successful Combat Maneuver check, the target are moved 5 feet towards the well. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD, the target is dragged back an additional 5 feet (and into the well). Characters must take action to prevent drowning. The elemental receives +1 to hit and damage to targets in the well.

Shadow Blend (Su) - In any illumination other than bright light, a shadow creature blends into the shadows, giving it concealment(20% miss chance). A shadow creature can suspend or resume this ability as a free action.

Area 5. Chamber (Plane of Shadow) A mated pair of shadow rats make the closet in this room their lair.  Anyone trying to open the magically trapped door will cause shadow rays to spring from the door (4 rays, Attack +5 ranged touch, Perception DC28, Disable Device DC28, spell effect, Ray of Exhaustion, DC 19 Fortitude partial) XP 1,200 

Once the magical trap is sprung, the rats will attack but will not pursue them into room 6 or 4. The condition of the closet’s contents are as described before, except the mirror is still hanging on the inside of the door, the silver leaf on birch wood is in perfect, untarnished condition and detect magic indicates it radiates an aura from the transmutation (polymorph) school. Upon saying the command word (Spellcraft DC25), and three rounds of concentration, the mirror can cast Alter Self (CL10) 3/day. 

Area 4. Chamber (Plane of Shadows): This room has three Evangelist Kytons. Unlike the skeletons in the material plane, they are very free to move about. They protect their dark master in the shrine above and will fight to the death.  They will ambush the party if they hear combat from location 5. The Kyton in area 3 will warn his master in area 1, then proceed to area 4 to join the battle in this room six rounds after it begins. The closet in this room has a shadowy illusion cast upon the back wall (DC 24 once interacted with), concealing the treasure of the Kytons. Players who examined this closet on the material plane will immediately recognize the difference in size.

Area 3. Chamber (Plane of Shadows): This room contained an Evangelist Kyton. If the Kyton heard the battle begin in area 4, it runs to warn its master in the shrine above, then returns to join the battle below.

Area 2. Stairs (Plane of Shadow): The 5’ wide spiral stairs turn several times, ascending 40’ into the shrine above. Shrine’s defender knows the party is coming unless they have taken extreme caution. The air become more and more oppressive with each step and magical darkness falls on the party halfway to the top…

Area 1. Shadow Shrine (Plane of Shadow): This is the lair of Egranuk, a terrible Nightskitter. The chamber above is warded with Umbral Webs and a Greater Darkness spell is in effect. It will summon a greater shadow (in wolf form?) to attack the party from the top of the stairs, and channel negative engery and make use of its Umbral Web as a ranged attack, (with its desecration aura in affect). It will also have cast Haste onto itself before the final confrontation. This is a very dangerous CR 12 monster that is quite prepared for the party.  

Are your favorite monsters too weak or
strong? Add templates or class levels!

You get the picture. The initial map in the material plane is a quick run through as there is little to no combat to keep the party’s interest in one place for too long. I’ve had parties skip through so quickly they didn’t take note of the details, only to regret such carelessness once they entered the Plane of Shadow.

There is a plethora of monster options for lower level parties.  You can reduce the number of creatures in each room, or replace them with Lesser Shadows, Wraiths, Wights, or any creature with the Shadow Creature (CR+1) template added such as zombies, mimics and most vermin would fit in quite nicely. There are countless possibilities for parallel items as well (such as the Well in area 6, or the Mirror in area 5).

I’d love to hear your suggestions for changes, adaptations or additions so let me know what you think. Better yet, play it and let me know what your characters think.

High axe friends!

I go.