TOMB OF HORRORS™ ROLEPLAYING GAME ADVENTURE Ari Marmell • Scott Fitzgerald Gray CRED1TS Design Art Director Ari Marmell (lead), Scott Fitzgerald Gray Mari Kolkowsky Development Cover Illustration Stephen Radney­MacFarland (lead), Ralph Horsley Stephen Schubert Graphic Designers Editing Keven Smith, Emi Tanji Cal Moore (lead), Miranda Horner Additional Graphic Design Managing Editing leon Cortez Kim Mohan Interior Illustrations Director of D&D R&D and Book Publishing Kerem Beyit, Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai, Bill Siavicsek Nicole Cardiff, Vincent Dutrait, Steve Ellis, Jason A_ Engle, Warren Mahy, Vincent Proce, D&D Creative Manager Franz Vohwinkel Christopher Perkins Cartographer D&D Design Manager Jason A. Engle James Wyatt Publishing Production Specialist D&D Development and Editing Manager Erin Dorries Andy Collins Prepress Manager D&D Senior Creative Art Director Jefferson Dunlap Jon Schindehette Imaging Technician Carmen Cheung Production Manager Cynda Callaway Game rules based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS" rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the later editions by David "Zeb" Cook (2nd Edition);Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison (3rd Edition); and Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt (4th Edition). 620·25385000­001 EN U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC , EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS WIZARDS OF THE COAST, BELGIUM 987654321 & LATIN AMERICA Hasbro UK Ltd Industrialaan 1 Fi rst Printing: Wizards ofthe Coast LLC Caswell Way 1702 Groot­Bijgaardcn P.O. Box 707 Newport, Gwent NP9 OYH Belgium July 2010 Renton WA 98057­0707 GREAT BRITAIN +32.070.233.277 ISBN: 978­0­7869­5491­9 +1­800­324­6496 Please keep this address for your records DUN GEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, d20, d20 System, W,ZARDS OF THE COAST, Player's Handbook, Dunaeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, Draaon, Tomb ofHorrors, FORGOTTEN REALMS, EBERRON, D&D Insider, Adventurer's Vault, Manual of the Planes, Open Grave: Secrets ofthe Undead, RevenBe of the Giants, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC In the U.S.A_ and other countries. All Wizards characters and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. This material Is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included herein Is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. V1S1T OUR W£BS1T£ AT WWW.DUNG£ONSANDDRAGONS.COM ­­ ­­ ­­­ ~ ­­ - . CONTENTS -. - ­ ~ . ­­ - ­ ­­- lNTRODUCTION ..... ... ...... 4 Encounter M1: Portal Tower ....... 50 Encounter V1: A History of Horror ................ 4 Encounter M1: The Devourer's Welcome ....... 110 When the Dead Scheme ........... 5 The Tower of Test .... ........ 51 Encounter V1 : Up and Out ....... 111 Adventure Summary . .... ...... .. 6 Encounter M3: Dark Barrow ...... 55 Encounter V3: Skull Shrine ....... 11 3 Encounter M4: Shadow Gate . .. .. 56 Encounter V4: I: THE GARDEN Of GRAVES .... 8 The Shadow Tomb ................ S8 Moghadam's End ...............114 Adventure Synopsis ... .. ....... .. 1 0 Terrain and Features.. ... ... .. .. 58 Getting Started . ............... .. 10 Planar Crossover ..... ... .. .. ... 58 4: DEAD GODS' TOMB ......... 118 The First Encounter ............. 11 Shadow Tomb Overview ......... 59 Adventure Synopsis ..............110 Fey Crossing.. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. 11 Encounter S1 : Perilous Archways ... 63 What the Characters Know .. .. 110 Feywild Encounters . .. .. ..... .. 11 Encounter 51: Tapestries of Time .. 66 Acererak's Revenge . .... ... .. 110 Features of the Garden ............ 1 3 Encounter 53: Black Well. ......... 68 Getting Started ....... ..........110 Planar Crossover .. ... ... .. .. .. 1 3 Encounter 54: Feywild Ruin ... .. 70 Endgame . .. .... .. ... ... .. .. ... 111 Garden of Graves Overview ....... 14 Encounter 55: Dark laboratory .. 71 The Ruins of Pluton ..............111 Conclusion ............. .... ... 1 8 Encounter 56: Boneyard Bridge . .. 74 Pluton Encounters ......... .. .. 113 Future Adventures ...... .. ... .. 18 Encounter S7: Shadow Engine . ... 76 Terrain and Features .... .. .. ... 113 Encounter W1: Ruins of Pluton Overview .... .. 113 Woodland Woes .. ... .. ......... 19 3: SKULL ClTY. .. ........ .. .. 81 Encounter P1: Blade Gauntlet . .. 115 Encounter G1: Campfright . ... .. ... 10 Adventure Synopsis ... ......... 84 Encounter P1: The FaJlen ...... .. 116 Encounter G3: What the Characters Know ..... 84 Encounter P3: Distressing Damsel .. ..... .... .. 11 Getting Started ................... 84 Eldritch Storm Ambush ......... 118 Encounter G 1: Beggars of Stone . .. 14 Concluding Skull City . ......... .. 85 The Dead Gods' Tomb .... .... 130 Encounter G4: Perilous Pool .. .. 15 Skull City ................. ...... 86 Terrain and Features ....... .... 130 Encounter G5: Skull City Encounters ... .. .. .. 87 Dead Gods' Tomb Overview ....131 Shadows out ofTime . .. .. .... 16 Terrain and Features .. .......... 88 Acererak's Message ... .... ...... 133 Encounter G6: Play with Us . ...... 18 Skull City Overview ...... ...... 88 Encounter 01: Hidden Temple . .. 134 Encounter G7: Encounters ............. ..... .. 89 Encounter 01: Fallen Amoth ...... 136 Death in the Dark...... ... .... 30 Encounter C1: Crossfire . ........ .. 90 Encounter 03: Betrayed Tuern .. 138 Encounter G8: Dark Angels .... ... 31 Encounter C1: Encounter 04: Encounter G9: Faithmarked Ambush ........... 91 A Prayer for He Who Was... .. .. 140 Broken Catacombs ..... ........ 34 Encounter C3: Courtyard Clash . .. 94 Encounter 05: Wild Game ....... 141 Encounter G1 0: Wild at Heart ..... 37 Encounter C4: Encounter 06: liquid Night ....... 144 5kullbreaker Standoff . .. .. .. ... 96 Encounter D7; Black Pool ........ 1'46 2: THE TOMB Of SHADOWS.... 41 The Haven . ... .. .. .. .. .. 98 Encounter 08: Reaper's End ...... 148 Adventure Synopsis . .. .... .. .. .. 44 A Point of light .. .. ............. 98 Encounter 09: Astral Engine .. ... 150 What the Characters Know . ... 44 Answers and Questions . ........ 98 Acererak's End? . ... .. .. .. .. 151 Getting Started ................... 44 The Abandoned Tomb ............ 99 Final Confrontation .... ... .. 1 51 A Glimpse of Darkness .......... 45 Terrain and Features . .. .. .. ... 99 Aftermath . ... .. .. ... .. 151 No Rest for the Weary ........... 45 One More Encounter ............ 99 Hunting the Demilich ... .. ..... 151 Concluding the Abandoned Tomb Overview .. ... 99 Cryptic Replies . .. .... ........ 151 Tomb of Shadows ............... 46 Encounter T1: A longer Hunt. .. .. .. .. .. 153 The Exit Portal .... ......... .. 46 Chorus ofthe Dead . .... .. .. .. 101 Encounters within the Tomb .... 153 Future Adventures ... .......... 46 Encounter n: Shrouded Dead .... 104 Encounter T4: Moil, the City that Waits...... .... 47 Encounter T3: Acererak's last Stand .. .. ....... 154 Arriving in Moil . .......... .. ... 47 lady of the Mists ............... 106 Concluding the Adventure . ....... 158 Random Encounters . ........... 47 The Vault of Betrayal. .. .. .. .. 108 Victory! .. .. ........ .. .... .. 1 58 The Tortured Vestige .. .... .. .. 47 Vault Overview . ... .. .. ..... 108 Success . .. ... .... .. .... .... 1 58 Terrain and Features . .. ...... ... 48 Ruinblade ..................... 109 Defeat .. .... .... .. .. ... .. .. 159 Moil Overview . .. .. .. .. .... ... 49 Afterword .....................159 .­­.­.­.­.­ . ­.­.­.­ -.• FEW VILLAINS throughout the history of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game have a legacy as A HISTORY OF HORROR daurJting as that ofAcererak the demilich. From the earliest days ofthe game, tales of his lair have spread Acererak was born of the union between a balor throughout populations ofbold characters and fasci- named Tarnhem and a human named Kecethri. nated players alike. It was a short adventure that first Kecethri raised Acererak at the fringes ofsociety, introduced Acererak and his penchant for fiendish afraid ofwhat might occur ifthe people ofher town traps, but that adventure's name has lived on through- learned ofher son's half­demon heritage. But they out every incarnation of the game. You know it, of did find out, and in his tenth year, Acererak could course, as Gary Gygax's original Tomb ofHorrors. only watch as a mob lynched his mother and burned It's time to bring Acererak's legacy to today's garners. their home to the ground. Only Acererak's inhuman The 4th Edition Tomb ofHorrors is not a simple con- nature allowed him to survive long enough to flee. version ofthe original adventure. Why not? In addition The events ofhis life between his childhood to the fact that many players are familiar with the origi- escape and his reemergence as a potent wielder of nal adventure in one way or another, the game play arcane powers are vague. Some claim that he began and design aesthetics ofthe game have evolved over the searching at a young age for a means ofbecoming various editions; it would be doing both the 4th Edition undead, to escape the life he found so wretched. game and the original adventure a disservice for us to Other tales maintain that Acererak apprenticed with simply convert the latter to the former and call it a day. none other than Vecna himself, while the latter was Instead, this adventure involves the characters in still a