Lost Tomb Side-Trek Publication

Players5E are drawn into the story of a long lost culture by a bardic tale. The legend holds that a Chieftain of an ancient tribe was possessed by an evil spirit causing him to slaughter his own warriors. The rest of the tribe secured him in a vault for all eternity as punishment. The players are charged with the task of finding out the truth of the story in an exciting quest delving into the tomb.

System: D&D 5E Adventure Starting Level: 5 players of 5th level SamplePreviewLength: Approximately 1-2 sessions file Lost Tomb Side-Trek Formatting This quest is also a great reason to advance any Encounter, Easy Difficulty other plots that you have in your campaign to go Players are drawn into the story of a long lost Any text that appears in a box is meant to either be near some other location. The location of the tomb 1 Shambling Mound (modified), CR 5 culture by a bardic tale. The legend holds that a read out loud or paraphrased to the players. could easily be near or far from where the players Once the PCs have defeated the Shambling Mound, Chieftain of an ancient tribe was possessed by an currently relax. Findalin will draw a map to the they can enter into the False Tomb. evil spirit causing him to slaughter his own Major Events location of the tomb if the player's refuse to let him warriors. The rest of the tribe secured him in a Adventure flow of the Lost Tomb Side-Trek is go for some reason. vault for all eternity as punishment. The players are linear and there are no deviations. charged with the task of finding out the truth of the Once everything has been decided, bring the players story in an exciting quest delving into the tomb. Hook > Tomb Entrance > False Tomb > to the Tomb Entrance map. Chieftain's Tomb This side-trek adventure has been balanced for 5 players of 5th level and can be altered by the DM to Tomb Entrance make it harder or easier depending on the number Quick Guide Map: Tomb Entrance of players/levels involved in your game. It will likely System: D&D 5E Adventure Findalin calls out to you saying this is the area where span approximately 1-2 sessions of play. Starting Level: 5 players of 5th level he saw the spirit. You exit the main path and Length: Approximately 1-2 sessions surprisingly it is only a few hundred paces before you come to a stone ziggurat with a flat landing at the top. Deep in the forest, lived a tribe of old, Adventure Hooks Rumors called them cannibals, with a Chieftain so bold. “You see!?” Findalin exclaims, clearly impressed There are several ways that players could be On a hunt, madness overcame him in darkness of night, with himself. “It’s so close to the road and no one introduced to the adventure depending on where With gnawing hunger and sharpened teeth, red eyes: a fright. has ever discovered it except for myself! Let’s go!” they find themselves in your campaign. They could: Come the dawn, bodies laid still, The tomb itself is about a story tall. Large square The Chieftain alive, his belly had its fill. • Find a map in a book with the poem written on boulders have been broken over time showing its the back. As he slumbered, the villagers arrived with chains, age. Moss creeps over the entire structure and even And now the Chieftain is locked away forever, forever… And only • Happen upon the tomb while traveling. The some larger shrubs have begun to reclaim the cracks memory remains. poem could be chiseled on the door. in the rock. A stone door stands boxed in at the top • The story could be a local legend. If players don’t take interest in the minstrel’s song of the ziggurat. A large bush and vines wrap around he will take a set break and approach the players the door heavily pulling at it. This adventure hook assumes that the players are directly. He will mention that the story is believed to For an ancient culture, players are rather impressed starting at an inn, tavern, or civilization of some sort be true. He claims to have come across the ruins one with its crude construction and ability to move such where the PCs can enjoy the company of good music day and met an ancient spirit telling him the whole large stones. One might recognize that a tomb and ale. saga and asked for him to help release the dedicated to such a chieftain must be very tormented spirits from the tomb. Findalin At the local tavern, you sit at a table and order a important, or at least the demonic spirit is very immediately put ideas into a song, but feared going round of drinks. It feels good to relax your weary powerful. into the tomb by himself. If the players are body after adventuring for the past few weeks, or interested, he would show the location of the tomb has it already been months? A local minstrel named At the top of the steps is Shambling Mound. to them so that he could confirm if the tale is true. Findalin strikes up a tune and is surprisingly very When players go to push the stone door or remove The Minstrel would tag along to complete the song good. He wears tights, brightly colored striped garb, the vines, it will attack the players. While the writing them into it, further advancing their renown and a plumed hat with a giant feather towering over creature is motionless, it looks as if it is a large bush in the region. If treasure exits, he will bargain for as it. It whips through the air as he entertains his with vines hanging off of the stone doorway. much as he can get away with. guests. His fingers swiftly strum a lute with passion as he melodically sings his song. Preview 2 Sample file 3 False Tomb Spirit Warrior Tombs. The stone coffin tops can be pulled off with a successful Athletics DC of 12. Map: Lost Tomb (left side) Inside of the coffins are the remains of the Chieftain's warriors. Each body is accompanied with You pry open the tomb doors and a gust of air bursts battle axes and old studded leather armor fashioned out escaping into the world for the first time in ages. with bones of ancient animals. The leather is mostly After descending a lightless staircase, you reach the ripped and tattered making them unusable. Many of bottom where two broken wooden seats have been the bones show severe breaks including bone pushed against the walls. An old brazier stands in shards. Some skeletal remains have duplicate bones the corner with dry logs to the side. In front you are and and others are missing bones. On a Medicine wooden double-doors with simple carved handles. The door seems to be hanging off the hinges slightly, perhaps having broken as the tomb settled into the earth over time.

The double-doors will break apart upon attempting to manipulate them creating a loud crash sending dust everywhere obscuring vision. After a few rounds, the particles settle. False Tomb Room The dust settles and you cough as you step into the ancient musty room made entirely of stone from top to bottom. The room is extremely long with 8 sarcophagus placed against the walls, 4 on each side. Next to the sarcophagus are large stone statues. At the far end of the room is a larger more ornate sarcophagus straddled by two more stone statues. In the middle of the room is a large bowl made of rock. Water sits inside of it which has been undisturbed for eons until today. There is also two wooden doors immediately to your north and south.

Storage Rooms. To both the north and south are doors leading to storage rooms. Inside the boxes and clay pots are old ritual items such as herbs and incense. Much of it has lost its value and decayed over time, but some of the powders are still good and could be used in antitoxin potions if one were proficient with an herbalism kit.

Water Bowl. The water bowl was purely ceremonial and has no other use. If any PC drinks from the water they must succeed on a DC 12 Con save or be poisoned for 1 hour due to ancient Tomb Entrance Previewcontaminant particles in the water. 4 Sample file 5 check DC 11 it could be understood that the ancient defensive position, frozen for all time. Chieftain Statue culture may not have understood which bones went Map: Lost Tomb (right side) with which body once they were all separated in the At the far end of the room is a very large stone statue towering over all of the others. His face is contorted violent aftermath of the Chieftain’s rage. This also Upon investigation, it is easy to see that the statue into a permanent scowl with a wild curly beard. He supports the story that Findalin told. has been split in two halves from front to back. It carries with him a real spear that points forward in appears that it was pushed closed, encasing its If any of the tombs are opened or manipulated in the air as if it were being hurled overhead of the contents vertically. With the coordination of 2 allies any way, a specter spirit immediately rushes out other warriors. Instead of eyes, this statue has two it can be forced open allowing the Ancient Horror to and attacks the grave robber in a surprise attack. rubies which seem to faintly glow even in the spill out engaging the players in immediate combat. The rest of the spirits will awaken and rise from darkness. their coffins joining their undead companion on the Hoisted overhead of the Chieftain statue in one The 8 tomb guards will animate once players go past next turn. hand is a Spear +2. He also has two rubies for eye the final 2 pillars and attack the PCs defending their sockets worth 100 GP each. The rubies take one Encounter, Medium Difficulty ancient Chieftain. round to detach and are nearly 10ft high requiring 7 Specters, CR 1 Tomb Guards, Hard Encounter the PC to climb the statue. Should someone climb the statue and take a rubies or spear, the Ancient Chieftain’s Tomb 2 Warrior Statues, CR 2 Horror within will knock the front of the statue off sending the player to the ground prone unless they You descend further into the ancient tomb and a 6 Animated Statues, CR 1 successfully make a Dex Save DC 15. large hall opens up. To your left and right is a row of pillars. Several of the pillars have broken and fallen Lost Tomb Pottery The Ancient Horror is a large disgusting mix of rotten leaving rubble spilled across the floor. At the end of Along the walls are shelves with large clay pots. skin and torn cloth wrapped around its body. It’s eyes the pillars are 6 stone statues in two separate rows Each is decorated in an crudely ancient artistic way. glow red and it’s fingers are severely elongated of 3. They stand in front of another stone statue The items inside of the pots were placed here to be forming razor-like claws at the tips. When it moves, which appears to be a leader of some sort. Each of buried with the Chieftain to follow him into the you hear the crunching of old bones rubbing together the warriors has carved bone armor with intricate afterlife. Within the pots are silver jewelry and coins as it lumbers forward toward you. A putrid smell headdress that appear to be some type of animal fur. worth a total of 428 GP. rushes forward preceding it assaulting your nostrils. They have shields and crude stone axes held in a

Lost Tomb Preview 6 Sample file 7 Chieftain Sarcophagus, Hard Encounter Warrior Statue 1 Ancient Horror, CR 8* Medium construct, unaligned *Do not have the Ancient Horror escape while the Armor Class: 14 (natural armor) PCs are actively in combat with the Warrior Statues. Hit Points: 39 (6d8+12) This could lead to the players being significantly Speed: 30 ft. overwhelmed. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Optional Ancient Disease 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 1 (-5) 3 (-4) 1 (-5) Because the tomb has not been opened in ages, there Saving Throws: Str +4, Con +4 are bacteria that have laid dormant. The very air is Damage Immunities: poison, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing filled with spores transmitting the ancient disease. from nonmagical weapons that aren’t adamantine Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, When a Humanoid creature comes into contact with paralyzed, poisoned the contaminated air, they must succeed on a DC 11 Senses: blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius)', passive Constitution saving throw or become infected. Perception 10 Languages: Understands its creator’s language It takes 1d4 days for the ancient plague’s symptoms Challenge: 2(450 XP) to manifest in an infected creature. Symptoms include fatigue and cramps. The infected creature Anti-magic Susceptibility. The statue is incapacitated while in suffers one level of Exhaustion, and it regains only the area of an anti-magic field. If targeted by dispel magic, the statue half the normal number of Hit Points from spending must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's Hit Dice and no Hit Points from finishing a Long spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute. Rest. False Appearance. While the armor remains motionless, it is At the end of each Long Rest, an infected creature indistinguishable from a normal statue. must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the character gains one level of ACTIONS Exhaustion. On a successful save, the character’s Multiattack. The statue makes two attacks. Exhaustion level decreases by one level. If a successful saving throw reduces the infected Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6, Reach 5ft., One target. creature’s level of Exhaustion below 1, the creature Hit: 7 (1d10+2) slashing damage. recovers from the disease. Adventure Conclusion Once the adventure is complete, Findalin will settle any bargains he has made with the players. He will accompany them to their next town and perform a song explaining how the brave adventures descended into the deadly tomb and released the spirits' bonds to this world. Preview 8 Sample file 9 Licensing added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the Permission to copy, modify and distribute the files collectively known as License itself. 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