Sahuagin Raid (Part 1)

The adventure begins in a pub, the Slurping Snorkel, where the players have been invited by the
captain of the Gleaming Goat (sailing ship) to guard that ship from pirates. There have been attacks
from monsters recently, and the waterways aren't safe for merchant vessels. If the players can deliver
the contents of the ship successfully, they get a cut of the profits. They can haggle over their cut of the
profit to make it seem like they actually have a say in the matter.

The players are in the small fishing town of Murkwell on the coast of Cliff's End on Khorvaire.

After the negotiations are finished, getting later in the night, the players hear a scream coming from an
alleyway near the docks. Sea raiders are attacking the town to get at the mayor (a goliath adventurer
named Freclefur who served in the Last War fighting Warforged). These raiders (a monstrous race
called Sahuagin) were stirred up from their existence on the seafloor by an evil water genasi named
Sea's Sapphire to conduct raids on the land. More on that in the Treasure Cave section. Most of the
raiders are focused on Freclefur, which is a big mistake. He hasn't lost one ounce of fighting capability
from the Last War due to a Boon of Immortality, and he is strong enough to keep most of the Sahuagin
away from the civilian population. It's the rest that he didn't get that the players have to deal with.
A mob of 12 Sahuagin get by Freclefur and start to terrorize the populace. There are 1d8 drunkards
still wandering the docks, and the Sahuagin try as best they can to split up evenly and go after the
wandering drunks. Roll initiative separately for each division of Sahuagin. If they finish a drunk they
go on to the city core to cause lots more damage. During this battle, the players' main task will be to
save the civilians. They are drunk, unarmored and unarmed, so use the stats for commoners with
Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma reduced to 9 and AC 8.
If any drunks die, this is bad news for the town, but not too much of a loss. If a small party of Sahuagin
makes it past the party, the guards are able to put it down quickly. 2 parties strain the guards capacity. If
3 make it by, there is a big problem. The players will have to rush to the city core and fight the
Sahuagin with the help of 1d4 guards.

Some notable sights in Murkwell are the local ping-pong club and a haunted house.
To win a Ping-Pong contest, a contested Sleight of Hand check must be made against an enemy with a
+6 bonus. The winnings are 10 gold for a win, 5 for a tie.
The haunted house is actually haunted by a Centaur Mummy that lives in the basement. It attacks on
sight and has an Insignia of Claws that empower its hoof attacks with a +1 enhancement bonus.

The next morning, the players set off on their journey over the sea. The journey is calm for about three
hours, then a problem arises. The cargo they were shipping is secretly full of pirates! The cunning
scoundrels hid in crates the night before with enough food to last a day, and when the food ran out, they
planned to storm the ship and steal it. If you like, you can have a pirate sneak out early to grab some
food, hinting to the players that they might have a stow-away when they look for an apple or
something.

That night, the pirates burst out of their crates and take prisoners while everybody is sleeping. They
laced the food with drugs beforehand, so you have two options on how to play this.

1. The characters are completely knocked out by the drug. Run this like a cutscene with players
getting a hazy view of themselves being chucked overboard. Nice and simple.
 2. The poison weakens the characters, but they can still fight. After all, they are adventurers! The
pirates attack in force, in neverending waves of 1d10 pirate captains out for player character
blood. They fight to subdue and throw the players overboard after they win. Simulate the effects
of the poison with a Confusion spell, DC 18 but a Constitution save, with the additional
complication that they are Poisoned the whole time.

Either way, the players will lose. The players will wake up in pirate captivity, forced to walk a plank
the pirates hastily prepared by ripping out a board on the deck and nailing it to the side.
Note: At this stage the pirates are NOT meant to be fought. If the players attempt resistance, they will
be subjected to a DC 20 Athletics check to avoid being grabbed and chucked overboard. If you want to
avoid all this entirely, just have the players wake up as they are chucked into the water. If the players
really insist on fighting, use bandit stats for all and make the numbers practically unlimited. You could
throw in a few bandit captains if the players seem to be winning.

If the players can swim or fly, the pirates shoot at them with crossbows until they are unconscious.

Kuo-Toa Village (part 2)

You step off the plank. For a brief instant, you fly, weightless above the sea. Then the water hits,
knocking the air out of your lungs and filling them with salty brine. The jeers of the pirates slowly fade
out with the dying light of evening as you descend into the crushing depths.
Pause for dramatic effect here.
You regain consciousness in a cold and clammy cave. The sound of lapping water rebounds
around a small stone chamber, dimly lit by phosphorescent lichens. The rest of the party sits scattered
on the ground, soaked in brine.
The sea cave is small, with lichen and edible sea mushrooms. The players are at the bottom of
the ocean, saved by kuo-toa villagers. A small hole in the ground is an access port to the village, which
is submerged undersea. The cave is magically warded against water, which is why the players haven’t
drowned yet. In ten minutes, a kuo-toa pokes its head through the hole. The kou-toa in question is a
female priestess of Blibdoolpoolp named Bilpli. She carries an Officer's Key, fastened to the tip of her
staff, but see Command Center for more information on that. A DC 15 Perception check is required to
spot the key, have the players roll it if they decide to look her over. Use the kuo-toa archpriest stats to
represent her, but change the Bludgeoning damage on her staff to Piercing to represent the key.
She is the one who saved the players from sinking with the ship, but on one condition: They
must protect the village from Sahuagin raiders. The kuo-toa lands are under siege, and the kuo-toa have
been sneaking out and trying to capture heroes to help them.
Roleplaying Bilpli: She is desperate for heroes to rescue the kuo-toa from the raiders. She is
also slightly insane, and wholeheartedly devoted to Blibdoolpoolp. The reward for assisting the kuo-toa
in their defense is escape from the seafloor, as well as sunken treasure that the kuo-toa have recently
discovered (this is in fact why the Sahuagin are attacking. They have a Malenti spy in the town who
discovered that the Kuo-toa had discovered the treasure). The punishment for not helping is being
sacrificed to Blibdoolpoolp to give the troops strength. More on this later.
The kuo-toa have captured one more hero, a Warforged soldier nicknamed “Rustbucket Jim”
because he has rusted from so much time underseas. See the sidebar for roleplaying him. He also has an
Officer's Key on his person, rusted to the sole of his robotic foot. This requires a DC 20 Perception
check to detect when looking him over. Jim is in the town trying in vain to oil himself, and will join the
party. Along with him is a Malenti spy, a rogue who will also faithfully join the party. He betrays them
at the earliest opportunity that he would have a chance of winning.
Each player is loaned a Cap of Water Breathing so they don’t drown.

-A side note on Underwater Physics-

This adventure is set mainly underwater, so if you're feeling super realistic, you can impose these
additional restrictions to spells cast underwater.

Ice Spells: When an ice spell is cast, the source of the spell is encased in a block of ice. The
appendage/arcane focus cannot be used unless it is broken. AC 13, 10 HP, vulnerability to bludgeoning
and fire damage, immunity to cold, poison and psychic.
Lightning Spells: When a lightning spell is cast, the water around the source of the lightning is
electrified. Every creature within 10 feet of the spell's target or the borders of its AoE take half the
spell's damage.
Acid Spells: All creatures and objects underwater have resistance to acid damage.
Thunder Spells: Shockwaves carry especially well underwater, so Thunder spells deal 150% damage.

Read the following to the players when they leave the warded cave:
From the confined clamminess of the cave, you swim out into a vast expanse of ocean, midnight-black
save for several small pinpoints of light in the distance. If you can see with darkvision or a similar
ability, the vast seafloor is covered in a mass of dented and torn metal. Upon closer inspection, you
recognize it as the wreckage of a Warforged Colossus, humanoid machines as big as mountains that
House Cannith created in the final days of the war. They were assigned to destroying entire cities, and
beside their massive strength and size were armed with magical weaponry that could incinerate entire
armies. This colossus is in bad shape, extremely rusted and gashed, full of harpoons like a pincushion,
and with an arm torn off at the shoulder. You shudder to think what incredible force could have sent
one of these to the bottom of the sea.
The lights appear to be coming out of the colossus itself, although there’s no way it could still be active
at this depth with this much damage.

Inside is a bustling metropolis of Kuo-Toa, with shops, restaurants and apartments stacked all up the
walls of the body. The center, which would normally have held machinery and stations for technicians
and artillery, has been hollowed out to make a broad thoroughfare where the fishy inhabitants can walk,
swim, or ride in carriages pulled by giant sharks.

The town itself is made from the remains of a Warforged Colossus that got sunk towards the end of the
Last War. It’s filled with water that seeped in through the various holes in its hull. Industrious Kuo-Toa
have made their homes all over the colossus, having cleared out all the traps long ago. Several
defensive installations, like the eldritch turrets and mouth beam are still active, though the Docent
network that centrally controlled them is long rusted away. It would take many sessions to get through
all the screwing around the players will want to do in the city, so be sure to impose upon them the
threat of Sahuagin invaders. Currently the invaders and defenders are at an impasse, with the former
unable to breach the walls and the latter to weak to launch a counterattack. (this is soon about to
change! See First Strike). In the meantime, here are the major features of the town.

Sacrifice. If the player's somehow don't go with Bilpli's plan even after the reward and the threat, she
calls in a pair of Kuo-Toa Monitors to assist her in apprehending the party. They fight to subdue. If the
party wins, they are enemies of the town. Every time they visit a location noted in this section within
the wreck of the colossus, they must make a group Deception check (DC 15) or be spotted by 1d20
Kuo-Toa guards. Again, they fight to subdue.
If the Kuo-Toa capture them, they are bound to an altar of Blibdoolpoolp as Bilpli chants prayers. She
is accompanied by the pair of monitors that were fighting before. If any go down, replace them with
Kuo-Toa Whips. Watching the sacrifice is a throng of people (noncombatants) plus a handful (5) Kuo-
Toa soldiers who were specially chosen to guard the prisoners. The players have three rounds to free
themselves from the seaweed ropes before Bilpli finishes her prayers and the altar electrifies, dealing
28 (8d6) lightning damage (no save). The altar is, in reality, a massive wire ending used to power the
colossus. The Kuo-Toa discovered that it would deliver a lethal shock when electrically stimulated, and
used it to make sacrifices ever since.
If the players escape from this, see the traveling encounter bit earlier, but the Kuo-Toa guards fight to
kill.

Leader. The town queen is a Kuo-Toa war priest. She presides over the defenses, and is quite possibly
the strongest person in the entire city, but is absolutely insane and believes the Sahuagin are divine
retribution from Blibdoolpoolp and won’t stop them. Her second-in-command is Bilpli, a much more
capable leader.

Inn. The village tavern is a run-down establishment called the Drunken Dolphin. Since beer is very
hard to drink underwater, the inn is magically warded against it with an effect similar to a giant Cube of
Force. The proprietor is a perpetually tipsy Triton named Belthyn Pumanath. He sells cheap seaweed
beer, cheaper meat (nobody knows what animal it is) and hires out rooms for 1 sp per person per day,
and has the only tavern in town. Belthyn has an Officer's Key around his neck (see Command Center)

Shops. There are three main stores that players can visit for supplies.

The first, Sea of Swords, is a weapons shop, the entrance being located in the pinky finger of the
colossus’s hand. The shop owner is a boisterous female Merfolk champion named Zarya. The other
fingers are levels of the store, connected by ladders. The pinky is the lobby, checkout desk and
advertisement center. The ring finger houses melee weapons that work well underwater: daggers,
shortswords, spears, tridents, and javelins, as well as pincer staffs for the price of 20 GP. All of the
normal weapons are at double price, since kuo-toa aren’t great craftsmen and have to work really hard
to forge scrap underwater. There is pretty much an
unlimited supply. The middle finger is devoted to protective gear. Sticky shields are sold here for 15
GP, along with leather, hide and (shark) scale armor, giant crab shell breastplates, and one heavily
rusted suit of full plate.
The pointy finger houses ranged weapons. There is a very limited stock of crossbows, since they had to
be scavenged from the dead bodies in the colossus. The Kuo-Toa did a fairly good job of restoring the
crossbows so that they work normally. There are five light crossbows, two heavy crossbows, and a
single hand crossbow. These are at double price. Nets and darts are also sold at normal price.
The thumb is used to contain magic items. There are several sea-themed items, including a Trident of
Fish Command (priced at a good hunting shark), a medium barrier tattoo (for an apprentice), a +2
trident (the location of some high-grade metal), and a Helm of Underwater Action for 150 GP. The
Apprentice can be found in Jebeddo's shop browsing through scrolls. A DC 15 Persuade check (or 15
gold) is required to hire the apprentice.

The second shop is an undersea apothecary selling all kinds of healing kelps. The proprietor is a male
Sea Elf Druid named Uthemar who is always slightly drunk on fermented clam juice. Kelp poultices
(treat as potions of healing) are available for 50 GP each, and some special buff potions are sold too.
Water Breathing for 10 GP (made of brain coral powder), Speed for 200 GP (Made of enchanted
hagfish slime), Poison for 500 GP (disguised as Storm Giant Strength even to the owner, made of
jellyfish poison), Aqueous Form for 300 GP (made of blobfish slime). Healing kits are also available
for 15 GP each.

The third shop is a magic store operated by a gnome Mage named Jebeddo Quillsharpener who
trundles around in an old-timey diving suit. Nobody can really tell if they are male or female, but they
get their air from a bubbling brain coral in the corner which feeds into a bucket used to refill the diving
suit. Scrolls scribed on stone are sold here. Each scroll weighs 5 pounds. There are two kinds of scrolls:
Control Water (400 GP), and Shape Water (10 GP). Each have practically unlimited supply. There are
two staves for sale, a Staff of Dunamancy for 2,000, Staff of Healing for the same.

Side Quest: A Good Hunting Shark: The entry for Zarya's shop says she needs a good hunting shark
in payment for a Trident of Fish Command. Anyone in the city can tell the players where the best
sharks are found, but Kuo-Toa are stingy and will only give up the info for the right price. Roll a d4 to
see what kind of Kuo-Toa the players ask, or choose. Whatever the result, a tough pack of sharks can
be found outside the colossus by its left foot.

Number Rolled on 1d4 Result

1 Beggar. The Kuo-Toa will only give up the
information if the players fork over a decent meal
from the inn.
2 Child. The Kuo-Toa will only give the information
if the players indulge them in a piggy back ride
around town. The player will be the object of a lot
of taunts next time they enter the tavern.
3 Common Folk. This is an average working Kuo-
Toa. They will only give up the information if the
players give them 1d20 gold.
4 Noble. This Kuo-Toa will only give up the
information if the players participate in an
underwater game of poker. Every player must
throw in the pot a certain amount of gold (the
noble enters 10) and make a Deception check or a
Charisma check with Poker. The person with the
highest roll wins. (the noble has a +3 bonus to
Deception)
The pack contains one Reef Shark per player. They only attack if the majority of the players are in
light to no armor. Taming a shark takes a DC 13 Animal Handling check, +1 to the DC per additional
shark. If Rustbucket Jim is with the party, checks are made with advantage. If a check fails, the shark
(s) will attack the players.

Activating the Turrets: There are eldritch turrets scattered all around the leader’s house in various
states of disrepair. To reactivate the cannons, a DC 17 Arcana check followed by a DC 17 Dexterity
Tinker’s Tools check must be made to get them in working order. Each cannon can fire a number of
shots (+9 to hit, 2d8 force damage) equal to the repairing character’s intelligence modifier before
having to be fixed again. Each cannon also requires a person inside to aim and fire it. There are a total
of five cannons in the general area. There is a problem: the turrets require high-grade ore to patch and
refinish the outside. This can be found in the head (see Command Center), but there’s only enough ore
to fix the cannons or bring to the smith. The players will have to choose.

Command Center: The colossus’s head was used to control the entire thing during the Last War, as
well as the point of activation for the deadly mouth beam attack. It has been sealed off ever since the
colossus sank, and is protected by deadly traps.
Deep-sea Sixgill Sharks (use statistics for hunter sharks) swarm around the outside of the head,
discouraging attempts to bypass the traps by simply walking along the outside surface of the colossus.
If the players insist on confronting them, it's up to you if you want to reward their thinking outside the
box or make them go through the traps. In the first case, there is one shark per player. In the second,
just keep a limitless swarm of sharks coming until the players give up, but be warned, this will not
endear you to them.
The first obstacle the players will need to overcome is a heavy vault-like door. It can only be opened
with three officer’s keys or destroyed (AC 20, 100 HP). An officer’s key can be found in three places:
in the tavern, hanging around the neck of the barkeep, sharpened and used for the head of
Sloopidoopi’s staff, and stuck to Rustbucket Jim’s foot. Once the keys are inserted and turned, the neck
opens easily. If the door is destroyed, a secret charge, made of a mineral which is unstable in anything
but the gas it’s packed in, detonates with the force of a Fireball (DC 16 save).
Since the head is lying down on its side, a very odd perspective puts the trap in an entirely new light.
Contained in the neck is one complicated trap, but the rewards are great if the cranium is reached.
The trap: Once the door is breached, the Path of Blades begins. If the Officer's Keys were used to open
the door, the trap fails to trigger. Use the sample trap from the Xanathar’s Guide1, but with a few
complications:
Since the trap is in the neck, which is meant to be standing upright, the blades scythe out from the walls
of the neck, including above the players. The ladder is blade-free, but blades skim right above it to
chop up ladder climbers.

Trigger. This trap activates as soon as a non-undead creature enters the hallway, and it remains active
while any non-undead creature is within the hall.

Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 15 and initiative count 10.

Active Elements. The Path of Blades includes a set of whirling blades along the first 40 feet of the trap,
crushing pillars that slam down from the ceiling to the floor before rising back up to the ceiling in the
next 25 feet, and a rune of fear in its final 15 feet.

Whirling Blades (Initiative 15). The blades attack each creature in the first 40 feet of the hallway, with
a +5 bonus to the attack roll and dealing 11 (2d10) slashing damage on a hit. DC 15 CON save or be
infected with a particularly strong strain of tetanus. This paralyzes the infectee for 2 rounds (or until
they make the save, which can be attempted at the beginning of a turn).

Crushing Pillars (Initiative 10). Each creature in the 25-foot-long area beyond the first 40 feet of the
hallway must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 11 (2d10)

1 Reprinted here for your convenience

bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much
damage and isn't knocked prone.

Rune of Fear (Initiative 10). Each creature in the 15-foot-long area beyond the Crushing Pillars must
make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed saving throw, the creature becomes frightened by the
rune, and it must immediately use its reaction to move its speed in the direction of the pillars. The
frightened creature can't move closer to the far end of the hallway until it uses its action to make a DC
15 Wisdom saving throw, which ends the frightened condition on itself on a success.

Dynamic Elements. The blades and the rune become more dangerous the longer the trap remains active.
Blades Accelerate. The blades move with increasing speed, slowing only when they hit a target. Each
time the blades miss with an attack, their next attack becomes harder to avoid. After each miss, the
blades' attack bonus increases by 2, and their damage increases by 3 (1d6). These benefits apply until
the blades hit a target, after which the values return to normal.

Rune's Defense. Tampering with the Rune of Fear increases the trap's power. Each successful check on
an attempt to disable the rune increases the damage of the blades and the crushing pillars by 5 (1d10)
and increases the rune's saving throw DC by 1.

Constant Elements. The Whirling Blades and the Rune of Fear affect each creature that ends its turn in
an area affected by these elements.
Whirling Blades. Any creature that ends its turn in the blades' area is targeted by an attack: +5 attack
bonus; 5 (1d10) slashing damage on a hit.

Rune of Fear. Any creature that ends its turn within 30 feet of the far end of the corridor must make a
saving throw against the Rune of Fear effect.

Countermeasures. Each of the trap's active elements can be thwarted by particular countermeasures.
Whirling Blades. Characters can smash the blades, damage their components, or discern how to avoid
them. The blades are disabled if their attack bonus is reduced to -8. Ways to reduce it are described
below.

Intelligence (Investigation), DC 15. As an action, a creature that can see the blades can attempt an
Intelligence (Investigation) check. A successful check means that the character has learned how to
anticipate the blades' movement, imposing disadvantage on the blades' attacks against the creature
while it isn't incapacitated.

Attack. A creature in the area can ready an attack to strike at one of the blades as it goes by. The blade
gains advantage on its attack against the creature. The creature then attacks. Each blade has AC 15 and
15 hit points. Destroying a blade reduces the Whirling Blades attack bonus by 2.

Dexterity check using thieves' tools, DC 15. Creatures can use thieves' tools in the area attacked by the
blades to foil their mechanism. A successful check reduces the Whirling Blades attack bonus by 2.

Crushing Pillars. The pillars are not susceptible to countermeasures.

Rune of Fear. The rune can be disabled with three successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) checks. Each
check requires an action. A creature must be at the end of the hallway to attempt the check, and only
one creature can work on this task at once. Once a creature attempts a check for this purpose, no other
character can do so until the end of that creature's next turn. Alternatively, the rune can be disabled with
three successful castings of dispel magic (DC 13) targeting the rune.

When the end of the neck is reached, the hatch into the head proper can be easily opened. Once it is, the
blades do not stop, for their purpose is to kill unauthorized intruders.

The head: The colossus’s head was the center of operations. The players come out in the middle of a
control platform (think Pacific Rim) with a good 20 feet to fall to get to the back of the head. Strapped
into the controls is the skeleton of the captain, and by the skeleton’s feet is the black box. The eyes can
be seen out of well enough, though one is broken, allowing the water in. The mouth beam contraption
dominates the ceiling. Making its lair in the bottom of the head is a massive giant shark. It scares off
all the smaller sharks milling around the head, but when it is killed, the head is colonized by sharks
within days.

Reactivation of the mouthbeam: There is only enough power in the corroded mouth beam for one shot.
It can only be aimed by tilting the colossus’s head around, a feat easier said than done. In fact, it can
only be done through some kind of pulley rig with very heavy rocks on the other end. It will instantly
vaporize about a third of the attackers if properly aimed, giving them pause in the attack. (see
negotiation)
The inside of the head has not been scavenged yet, so enough high-grade ore can be reclaimed to
refurbish the turrets or to repay the blacksmith. The ship's black box is easy activatable as well. It is
waterproof and durable enough to withstand the test of time. When it is opened, a Magic Mouth will
relay the following scene:

Ambience: blasting of cannons, HUGE machinery sounds

CAPTAIN: We are holed beneath the waterline! I repeat, holed beneath the waterline!
Shearing of metal, like something massive being torn apart
CAPTAIN: There’s some sort of creature climbing up our hull! It looks like a … static … I can’t really
tell. Lookout officer!
LOOKOUT OFFICER: Sir, I think it’s a Goliath.
CAPTAIN: That’s PREPOSTEROUS! One man destroying my colossus?!?!!? Not if I can help it!
LOOKOUT OFFICER: No!
Sound of huge metal fist crashing through huge metal chest
CAPTAIN: … that was stupid.
CAPTAIN: Mayday! Mayday! We are taking on water! Evacuate!!!!!
LOOKOUT OFFICER: Sir, the goliath is gaining on us. He’ll be through the visor in no time!
CAPTAIN: Duck and cover!
Glass crashes
ALL: AAAARRRRGHHH!!!!
-recording ends-

The real story: The colossus was battling several Lhazaar warships as part of a sea front. Little did he
know, the Lhazaar had a secret weapon: a blood hunter named Freclefur! A lone agent of Aundair, he
was out to destroy enemy warforged in the Last War. He single-handedly destroyed the colossus and
sent it to the bottom of the sea. His heroism was rewarded with government of a small town, and now
he is the mayor there, see Sahuagin Raid (the very first part of the adventure).

THE FIRST ATTACK: The sahuagin strike first at the mayor’s house at night. All of the guards are
asleep, so the raiders manage to get through the hull without raising any alarms. The mayor’s guard
shark notices the raiders first and loudly bubbles for help. The most perceptive player (as well as any
druids and rangers) will hear the cry for help, and hopefully come to aid the mayor. The strike force is
lead by a sahuagin priestess and straggling along behind her are two coral smashers and then eight
normal sahuagin. If they are left unattended, the raiders will break into the mayor’s house and make
off with the loot. They will retreat when the priestess is dead.

The SECOND ATTACK follows much the same vein as the first, with a small party of raiders striking
in an isolated spot. The second raid is targeted at a famous restaurant. Since the kuo-toa are better
prepared to guard against invasion, a diversion is first struck in the foot area (a giant shark ripping
through the hull), while the real attack takes place in the thriving heart (literally the colossus’s chest
generator) of the kuo-toa community. The second attack team is a blademaster with four sahuagin
acolytes. If the Malenti spy hasn’t betrayed them yet, this could be a good time.
Most of the guards who could assist them are fighting the shark in the foot (they will drive it off), but in
1d6 rounds a troop of 5 kuo-toa led by a whip will rush to the aid of the players.

After two strikes, and two defeats, the Sahuagin are feeling ready to bargain. A negotiator (baron)
arrives with two warlocks of uk’toa to strike a deal. This negotiation can start one of two ways. If the
Sahuagin caused significant damage before the players could intervene, Bilpli will want to discuss the
town’s surrender. If the mouth beam was deployed or the turrets activated and the strikes were fended
off without too much harm to the kuo-toa, the Sahuagin will negotiate for their surrender. For the
surrender of the town, the initial offer is all of the usable loot (this includes good weaponry and
magical items). If a DC 17 Charisma check is made by a party negotiator, the price goes down to just
the good weapons.
The argument for Sahuagin surrender: Bilpli presses them hard. She demands that the Sahuagin
leave them alone forever, withdraw all spies and hand over their booty. She (or a charismatic player)
must make a DC 17 Charisma check to pull this off. (each demand lowered lowers the DC by 3.) If
either side surrenders, the attacks end and peace is restored.

If the players fail their check and the Sahuagin do attack (or the town surrenders), their only hope is to
find Sea's Sapphire in the treasure cave. He is their leader and the Sahuagin are no more than mindless
rabble without him.
Of course, the Kuo-Toa don't know this, but they send the players anyway so that they can clear a
possible hideout for the brewing Kuo-Toa revolution. If the players kill him in the cave, the Kuo-Toa
are able to revolt and defeat the invaders.

The players are heroes of the town now, and they get free stay at the inn and a 25% discount at the
stores. They gain a level at the end of this section of the adventure.

The Treasure Cave (Part 3)

The treasure cave where the Lhazaar pirates buried their booty (a cache of magic tattoo needles) is
underneath the colossus's right leg. While excavating, the Kuo-Toa unearthed it, sent in a few explorers,
and gave up after being unable to solve the first riddle. The cave is a popular spot for children to enter
on a dare. Recently, the water Genasi who incited the Sahuagin Raids (his name is Sea's Sapphire) has
infiltrated the town while his army laid siege on it. This provided an excellent distraction for him to
pose as an undersea hermit seeking shelter. As mentioned earlier, he was also on the trail of the lost
pirate treasure and had tracked it to the downed colossus. When he got to the cave, he used a Potion of
Etherealness to drift past the traps and enter the main treasure room. From there, he dug out a tunnel
through the rock to let his crack squad of aquatic kobolds, plus some Merrow guards, in to “test out”
the final puzzle guarding the treasure. As the players walk down the stairs, read them the following
description:

You come upon a sinister metal door with four iron locks side by side on its surface.. Each lock sports a
keyhole with a sculpted image above it. Four iron keys hang from hooks on a nearby wall, and each
key has a different number of teeth. Above the keys, the following verse has been etched into the wall:

The spells on these locks are all the same.

Though each possesses a unique name.

Count on your answer to unlock the way,

But use the wrong key to your dismay.

Show the players puzzle handout 2 (see the end of this chapter) when their characters examine the keys.
Each key has a different number of teeth: ten, nine, five, and seven, respectively.

Each lock has a creature molded in iron above it: a dimetrodon, giant crab, shark, or octopus,
respectively. These locks can't be picked. If anything other than the correct key is placed inside a lock,
creatures corresponding to the image above the lock (1d4 dimetrodons, 1d8 giant crabs, 1d2 reef
sharks, or 1 giant octopus) are summoned into the room. Each summoned creature is hostile and
disappears after 10 minutes or when reduced to 0 hit points. These beasts can't be charmed or
frightened.

Solution
Once the characters identify the creature depicted above each lock, they should count the letters in each
creature's name. The number of letters in a creature's name corresponds to the number of teeth on the
correct key, as shown in the Skeleton Keys Solution table.

Skeleton Keys Solution

Lock Key
Dimetrodon Ten teeth
Giant Crab Nine teeth
Shark Five teeth
Octopus Seven teeth
Hint Checks
Any character has the option of making these ability checks to receive a hint:
Intelligence (Nature) DC 10. The character knows that "natural" knowledge about the animals in
general won't help here.
Wisdom (Perception) DC 10. The character realizes that the keys' skull-shaped heads are all the same
and probably have no bearing on the puzzle's solution.

After the sinister iron door is opened, there is a very short hallway (about ten feet long) that ends in
another door. Unbeknownst to the players, this is a magical airlock devised to keep the following room
dry so that prospective adventurers couldn't just swim over the next puzzle. As all of them pass the first
door, it slams behind them, the water disappears, and the door at the end of the hall opens. Read out the
description:

You enter a cobweb-filled room lit by torches on opposite walls. Dust on the floor has collected in
grooves that cover rows of five-foot-square tiles. On the opposite wall, a solitary arch leads from the
room. One wall bears the following inscription:

Eight appear before your eyes,

And eight remain in schooled disguise.

Avoid all magic in this room,

Lest reckless steps ensure your doom.

The floor of this 60-foot-by-70-foot room is made of 5-foot-square stone tiles laid out in a grid. Each
tile has a letter chiseled into it, as shown in puzzle handout 1 at the end of this chapter. Place a copy of
the handout for this puzzle on the table, and allow players to use miniatures to show how their
characters navigate the room.

To safely walk across the room, a character must step on the correct tiles. Stepping on an incorrect tile
sets off a trap.

Traps
Certain tiles (as indicated in this trap's "Solution" section) are trapped. A trapped tile is triggered when
more than 20 pounds of weight are placed on it, activating the pressure plate underneath and causing a
magical effect based on the word intruded upon.

As an action, a character can disable a trap with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves'
tools. If a character fails to disable the trap, the tile's trap can no longer be disabled.

Characters can attempt to jump over trapped tiles, using the jump rules in the Player's Handbook.

Solution
The only safe tiles for characters to step on are the ones with the faded black letters in diagram 4.1. Red
letters spell out either "magic" or one of the schools of magic: abjuration, conjuration, divination,
enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation. Stepping on one of these tiles
triggers a poison trap, as described earlier.
Hint Checks
Any character has the option of making these ability checks to receive a hint:

Intelligence (Arcana) DC 10. The character sees one instance of a school of magic on the floor.

Intelligence (Investigation) DC 10. The character interprets the clue in the wall verse: there are eight
schools of magic.

Wisdom (Perception) DC 10. Each character who succeeds on this check sees an instance of the word
"magic" in the floor.

Magic. Any creature above the trapped floor tile or one of its adjacent tiles must make a DC 16
Constitution saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on
a successful one.

Abjuration. The trap casts dispel magic on each creature in the room, using a 9th-level spell slot.

Conjuration. The trap teleports the creature that triggered it back to the entrance of the room. That
creature must also make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) force damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Divination. The creature that triggered the trap must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or
be unable to perceive any of the letters on the tiles by sight or touch. Any magic that ends a curse ends
this effect on the character. A player whose character is affected by this trap should not be allowed to
reference the accompanying player handout until the effect on that character ends.

Enchantment. The trap casts suggestion (save DC 16) on the creature that triggered it. On a failed save,
a gentle voice only the creature can hear tells it to move 5 feet in a random direction. This movement
might cause it to trigger another trap.

Evocation. Magical fire erupts from the trapped tile. The creature that triggered this trap must succeed
on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much
damage on a successful one.

Illusion. A suit of animated armor appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the creature that set
off this trap. The armor attacks only the creature that summoned it and can't leave the room. It doesn't
set off any of the room's traps and disappears if it takes any damage. Otherwise, it lasts for 1 minute.

Necromancy. Any creature that triggers this trap hears a banshee's wail in its mind. Unless the creature
is a construct or undead, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the
creature drops to 0 hit points. On a success, it takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage.

Transmutation. The trap casts polymorph (save DC 16) on the creature that triggered it. On a failed
save, the creature turns into a frog.
There is another airlock at the end of the room, leading to the guardroom Sea's Sapphire assigned four
Merrow to. The monsters are lazily swimming around when the players enter, playing games of chess
carved from rock and idly chatting. They take it as quite a surprise when clever adventurers outwitted
the traps their boss set, and are quick to their harpoons. If the fight is getting too much for them, these
aquatic mercenaries won't hesitate to strike a deal to ensure their own survival, possibly even revealing
the passages at your discretion. There is a concealed door behind some crates on the north side of the
wall that leads to the final treasure room.
There is a secret door here that leads to Sea's Sapphire's hidden tunnel. The tunnel wends through the
rock back to the original Skeleton Keys puzzle, but it is masked by an illusion that only Sea's
Sapphire's key can reveal.

Read this description for the treasure room:

Dozens of gems lie strewn upon the floor. Amid the treasure stands a marble statue with its hands
clasped in front of it. A placard at the statue's base reads, "Only one treasure may leave this room.
Cross with another and find your tomb." Crouched in front of the statue is a blue skinned man with a
greatsword strapped across his back. Surrounding him, sort of swimming in the treasure, are creatures
that look kind of like kobolds, but with gills and webbed hands and feet. He is breathing underwater
without any apparent magic, and is clad in scale armor made of a strange black metal. He turns to face
you, and calmly lifts the sword from his back.

As you may have guessed, the mysterious figure is Sea's Sapphire, the Water Genasi. He is gifted in
blood magic (as evidenced by his 18 levels in Blood Hunter) and is armed with a +1 Greatsword, Ring
of Free Action, Rod of Rulership, Adamantine Scale Mail, and a Wand of Magic Missiles. He also has
lycanthropic abilities, see his stat block. If the fighter in the party isn't doing too much damage against
him, Rustbucket Jim will cast Magic Weapon on them.

When he encounters the players, he will attempt to recruit characters to his cause. He is genuinely
surprised that the players bypassed the traps and puzzles, so he is impressed right off the bat. His main
goal is to get the treasure, so he tries to enlist player help in solving the puzzle for a share of the
treasure. As soon as the puzzle is solved, however, he will attack with murderous intent.

His Tactics: While being a ravening beast at the hands of Lycanthropy, Sea's Sapphire is no fool. He
immediately uses his Crimson Rite to boost damage, and in combat makes one attack with his
greatsword and the other with his claw to gain access to the extra attack. He places his Brand of
Castigation on the player who makes the most attacks, like a dual-wield fighter or a Wizard fond of
casting Magic Missile, as well as targeting them with an Amplified Blood Curse of Bloated Agony. He
focuses on the weakest character to fell them first and use the Blood Curse of the Fallen Puppet to do
some extra damage. The Kobolds (of which there are 5) nip at the heels of weak characters like rogues
and casters en masse, making use of their Pack Tactics.

The statue, which is impervious to damage, depicts Aureon. Any character who succeeds on a DC 10
Intelligence (Religion) check can identify the figure being depicted.

Treasure
Between the palms of the statue's clasped hands is a box of magic tattoo needles, which can only be
found and retrieved once the puzzle is solved. Once the characters solve the puzzle, the statue's hands
open, allowing the treasure to be taken. Upon breaching the threshold of the room with the box, a
trapped soul in the form of a friendly, thankful spirit is released. The spirit leaves to pursue its own
goals, and the box is left behind as a reward. The needles it contains are Eldritch Claw, Medium
Barrier, Coiling Grasp, and Illuminator.

Gemstones
An inventory of the room reveals the following gemstones scattered across the floor: eighteen pieces of
jade, sixteen onyxes, fourteen amethysts, thirteen sapphires, twelve rubies, nine pieces of amber, eight
citrines, five garnets, and one piece of quartz.

If a creature attempts to leave the room with any of these stones, the gem disappears and an angry spirit
trapped inside it is released. The spirit manifests as a hostile undead skeleton. It is either a Warrior
Skeleton (WS), Rogue Skeleton (RS) or Skeletal Alchemist (SA). The stats for all of these monsters are
in the back of this document. When this creature is reduced to 0 hit points, its form dissipates, leaving
no trace of itself behind.

Named Spirits
Characters hear each spirit whisper its name before it dissipates. The names themselves are not
important, other than they must start with the appropriate letter of the alphabet.

The following list provides names for all the imprisoned spirits, each name starting with the letter
associated with the spirit's gemstone prison:

Quartz. Alistair (WS)

Garnet (all SA save Erky). Elanee, Erky (WS), Ember, Edwina, Ernest

Citrine (all WS). Hobert, Holden, Hilda, Haddon, Hugo, Hera, Hessy, Hemma

Amber (All RS). Ivy, Iris, Ian, Idris, Iggy, Imelda, Ice, Innis, Isabella

Ruby (all RS). Lou, Leela, Leliana, Lahnis, Lake, Luke, Leila, Leean, Luna, Luvia, Lee, Leira

Sapphire (all save Melk-Latosh SA). Morrigan (SA), Melk-Latosh (WS), Merry, Moon, Medea,
Martha, Marni, Moen, Mava, Moloth, Mo, Mia, Miranda

Amethyst (all WS). Nox, Nisar (WS), Norman, Ned, Nadia, Nian, Nero, Nick, Narice, Nava, Nia,
Nicol, Nestor, Nera

Onyx (All RS). Paul, Pam, Pluck, Petra, Pax, Pia, Paden, Po, Pacey, Pima, Peck, Pablo, Piers, Pom,
Peleg, Peet

Jade (all SA). Ren, Ryannis, Rue, Romag, Redd, Remy, Ria, River, Rhonda, Resta, Rhys, Ron, Ricker,
Rey, Ro, Rowan, Regan, Rhiannon

Solution
An inventory of the room reveals gemstones in the amounts shown in the Gem Inventory table. The
table lists the gems in alphabetical order, but you should list them in any other order when describing
them to players so not to accidentally give away a hint.

Each type of gem is associated with a letter of the alphabet, and each gem's letter is revealed by
counting into the alphabet by a number of letters equal to the number of gems of its type. For example,
there is one piece of quartz, so "quartz" corresponds to the first letter of the alphabet (A), while there
are fourteen amethysts, so "amethyst" corresponds to the fourteenth letter of the alphabet (N).

Gem Inventory
Gem Amount Letter
Amber 9 I
Amethyst 14 N
Citrine 8 H
Garnet 5 E
Jade 18 R
Onyx 16 P
Quartz 1 A
Ruby 12 L
Sapphire 13 M
Once the gems are sorted by type and alphabetized, characters can count into the alphabet by how
many of each are in the room to reveal the words "in her palm." When a character speaks this phrase
aloud, the statue's folded hands open, revealing the previously hidden treasure.

Hint Checks
Any character has the option of making these ability checks to receive a hint:

Intelligence (Arcana) DC 15. The character can determine that there are spirits imprisoned in the
gemstones scattered on the floor.
Intelligence (Religion) DC 10. The character knows that the statue represents a god of knowledge and
order, and the character has a strong feeling that the order of the gems in the room is important.
Wisdom (Insight) DC 10. The character senses that the number of each type of gem isn't arbitrary.

Ending the Adventure.

The adventure can end in a few ways. The best one is the players killing Sea's Sapphire and
demoralizing the Sahuagin raiders so that the Kuo-Toa resistance can drive them off. If a player dies,
and there is nobody on the party who can cast Revivify, bad luck for them. The temple under the sea
has no diamonds to cast a Resurrection spell with, so a replacement character might be in order.

Alternately, the players could live out their lives subjugated under Sahuagin rule. That would not be
fun, so consider having a Kuo-Toa friend, or Rustbucket Jim, ask the players to clear out the treasure
cave to serve as a base for Kuo-Toa rebels.

If the adventure is concluded and the treasure cave is cleared, the players are free to swim back to the
surface! They come up near an island where, after a few weeks of island relaxation, a ship drops by that
they can hail to take them home.

The island is small and relatively uninhabited save for a young bronze dragon named Blendaeth who
takes a liking to the players. They can fish profitably off of the island's shores, and generally get a nice
tropical vacation until the ship arrives.

Monster Stats
Rogue Skeleton
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil
Armor Class: 15 (leather armor)
Hit Points: 40
Speed: 30'
STR: 8 (-1) DEX: 18 (+4) CON: 12 (+1) INT: 6 (-2) WIS: 8 (-1) CHA: 5 (-3)
Damage Vulnerabilities Bludgeoning
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
Languages Understands all languages it knew in life but can't speak
CR: ½
Sneak Attack: Once per turn, the skeleton can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature it hits with an
attack if it has advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.
It doesn't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that
enemy isn’t incapacitated, and it doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Actions:
Dagger. Melee or Ranged weapon attack, reach 5' or range 20/60. One target. +6 to hit. Hit: 1d4+4
Piercing damage. If the skeleton rolls a 1 on the attack roll, the dagger breaks and only does 5 damage
per hit.

Warrior Skeleton
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil
Armor Class: 16 (rusty chainmail and rusty shield)
Hit Points: 50
Speed: 20'
STR: 19 (+4) DEX: 8 (-1) CON: 15 (+2) INT: 6 (-2) WIS: 8 (-1) CHA: 5 (-3)
Damage Vulnerabilities Bludgeoning
Damage Immunities Poison
Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
Languages Understands all languages it knew in life but can't speak
CR: ½
Rusty Armor: If a player rolls a critical hit on the skeleton, its shield breaks, reducing its armor class to
15. If a further critical hit is scored, the armor is broken, reducing AC to 9.
Actions:
Longsword. Melee weapon attack, reach 5 feet. One target. +6 to hit. Hit: 1d8+4 Slashing damage. If
the skeleton rolls a 1 on the attack roll, the sword breaks and only does 5 damage on a hit.

Sea's Sapphire
Medium Humanoid (Water Genasi), 18th level Blood Hunter, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class: 17 (Adamantine Scalemail)
Hit Points: 154 (18d10+54)
Speed: 45', Swim 30'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STR: 20 (+5) DEX: 20 (+5) CON: 17 (+3) INT: 16 (+3) WIS: 13 (+1) CHA: 11 (+0)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saving Throws: STR +8, DEX +14, CON +6, INT +9
Skills: Arcana +9, Acrobatics +11, Athletics +11, Religion +9, Survival +7
Damage Resistances: Acid, Nonmagical and Non-Silver Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing
Miscellaneous Immunities: Critical Hits, Magical Paralysis and Restrain
Senses: Passive Perception 11
Languages: Abyssal, Common, Deep Speech, Primordial
CR: 12 (8,400 XP)

Blood Maledict (4/rest)

Sea's Sapphire invokes hemocraft magic to create one of the following effects. The type of action is
explained in the description, and they can be amplified at the cost of 5 (1d10) hit points if he chooses.

Blood Curse of the Howl (action): Sea's Sapphire unleashes a bloodcurdling howl, forcing all creatures
within 30 feet (amp. 60) to make a DC 17 WIS save or be frightened of him until the end of his next
turn. If they fail the save by 5 or more, they are also stunned for the duration. A creature that makes the
save is immune to this blood curse for 24 hours.

Blood Curse of the Fallen Puppet (reaction): When one creature is reduced to 0 hit points within 30
feet of Sea's Sapphire, he can invoke this curse to control their blood and force them to make one final
act of aggression. The creature immediately makes a weapon attack against one creature within range
of Sea's Sapphire's choice. (amp. He can move the target up to half their speed and grant an attack
bonus of +3 to the attack)

Blood Curse of Bloated Agony (bonus action): Sea's Sapphire causes the blood of one creature within
30 feet to painfully swell until the end of his next turn (amp. 1 minute, DC 17 CON save on the end of
the creature's turn to resist). For the duration of the curse, the target had disadvantage on Strength and
Dexterity ability checks and takes 4 (1d8) Necrotic damage if it makes more than one attack on its turn.

Blood Curse of the Eyeless (reaction): When a creature Sea's Sapphire can see within 30 feet of him
makes an attack roll, he can use his reaction to roll 1d10 and subtract the number rolled from the
creature’s attack roll. He can choose to use this feature after the creature’s roll, but before the DM
determines whether the attack roll succeeds. The creature is immune if it is immune to blindness. (amp.
He applies this curse to all of the creature's attacks until the end of the turn. He rolls a new d10 for each
affected attack)

Blood Curse of the Muddled Mind (bonus action): He curses a creature that he can see within 30 feet of
him that is concentrating on a spell. That creature has disadvantage on the next Constitution saving
throw it must make to maintain concentration before the end of his next turn.
(amp. The cursed creature has disadvantage on all Constitution saving throws made to maintain
concentration of spells until the end of his next turn)

Bloodlust
If he begins his turn with 77 or fewer hit points, he must make a DC 8 WIS saving throw or else move
directly towards the nearest creature to him and use the Attack action against that creature, determining
targets randomly if there is more than one possible target.
If he is unable to concentrate, he automatically fails this saving throw.

Brand of Castigation
Whenever he damages a creature, he can choose to sear an arcane brand of hemocraft magic into it. He
always knows the direction to the branded creature, and each time the branded creature deals damage to
him or a creature he can see within 5 feet of him, the creature suffers 6 psychic damage.
His brand lasts until he dismisses it, or he applies a brand to another creature.

Actions:
Multiattack. Sea's Sapphire makes one +1 Greatsword attack and two Claw attacks.

+1 Greatsword. Melee weapon attack, reach 5'. One target. +8 to hit. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) Slashing damage
plus 5 (1d10) Thunder, Cold, or Lightning damage.

Claws. Melee weapon attack, reach 5'. One target. +8 to hit. Hit: 9 (1d8+5) Slashing damage plus 5
(1d10) Thunder, Cold, or Lightning damage.

Skeletal Alchemist
Medium undead, lawful evil
Armor Class: 11
Hit Points: 32 (5d8 + 10)
Speed: 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
9 (-1) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 9 (-1)
Skills Arcana +4
Damage Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: exhaustion, poisoned
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages: understands all languages it knew in life but can't speak
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Resistance. The skeletal alchemist has advantage on saving throws against spells and other
magical effects.
Actions
Multiattack. The skeletal alchemist makes two Lob Acid attacks.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.

Lob Acid. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) acid damage.

Sahuagin Coral Smasher

Medium humanoid (sahuagin), lawful evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 9 (-1)
Skills: Perception +5
Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages: Sahuagin
Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood Frenzy. The coral smasher has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't
have all its hit points.

Limited Amphibiousness. The coral smasher can breathe air and water, but it needs to be submerged at
least once every 4 hours to avoid suffocating.

Shark Telepathy. The coral smasher can magically command any shark within 120 feet of it, using a
limited telepathy.

Siege Monster. The coral smasher deals double damage to objects and structures.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actions

Multiattack. The coral smasher makes two attacks with its warhammer, or one attack with its bite and
one with its claws.

Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning
damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage.
Dimetrodon
Medium beast, unaligned
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 19 (3d8 + 6)
Speed 30 ft., swim 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 10 (+0) 15 (+2) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)
Skills: Perception +2
Senses: passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Sahuagin Blademaster
Medium humanoid (sahuagin), lawful evil
Armor Class 20 (plate armor, shield)
Hit Points 97 (15d8 + 30)
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 12 (+1)
Saving Throws: Str +6, Con +5
Skills Athletics :+6, Intimidation +4
Senses darkvision: 120 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages: Sahuagin
Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood Frenzy. The blademaster has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't
have all its hit points.
Limited Amphibiousness. The blademaster can breathe air and water, but it needs to be submerged at
least once every 4 hours to avoid suffocating.
Shark Telepathy. The blademaster can magically command any shark within 120 feet of it, using a
limited telepathy.

Actions
Multiattack. The blademaster makes three attacks with its wavecutter blade, or one attack with its bite
and two with its claws.

Wavecutter Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing
damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.

Champion
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
Hit Points 143 (22d8 + 44)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
Saving Throws: Str +9, Con +6
Skills: Athletics +9, Intimidation +5, Perception +6
Senses: passive Perception 16
Languages: any one language (usually Common)
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indomitable (2/Day). The champion rerolls a failed saving throw.
Second Wind (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). As a bonus action, the champion can regain 20
hit points.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actions
Multiattack. The champion makes three attacks with its greatsword or its shortbow.

Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage,
plus 7 (2d6) slashing damage if the champion has more than half of its total hit points remaining.

Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing
damage, plus 7 (2d6) piercing damage if the champion has more than half of its total hit points
remaining.

War Priest
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
Hit Points 117 (18d8 + 36)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 17 (+3) 13 (+1)
Saving Throws: Con +6, Wis +7
Skills: Intimidation +5, Religion +4
Senses: passive Perception 13
Languages: any two languages
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spellcasting. The priest is a 9th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15,
+7 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following cleric spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): light, mending, sacred flame, spare the dying

1st level (4 slots): divine favor, guiding bolt, healing word, shield of faith

2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, magic weapon, prayer of healing, silence, spiritual weapon

3rd level (3 slots): beacon of hope, crusader's mantle, dispel magic, revivify, spirit guardians, water
walk

4th level (3 slots): banishment, freedom of movement, guardian of faith, stoneskin

5th level (1 slot): flame strike, mass cure wounds, hold monster
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actions
Multiattack. The priest makes two melee attacks.

Maul. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage.

Reactions
Guided Strike (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). The priest grants a +10 bonus to an attack roll
made by itself or another creature within 30 feet of it. The priest can make this choice after the roll is
made but before it hits or misses.

Sahuagin Warlock of Uk'otoa

Medium humanoid (sahuagin), neutral evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 22 (5d8)
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 8 (-1) 8 (-1) 16 (+3)
Skills: Arcana +1, Persuasion +5
Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages: Common, Sahuagin
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Blood Frenzy. The warlock has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have
all its hit points.

Innate Spellcasting. The warlock's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit
with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: eldritch blast (see "Actions" below), minor illusion

1/day each: armor of Agathys, arms of Hadar, counterspell, crown of madness, invisibility, hunger of
Hadar

Limited Amphibiousness. The warlock can breathe air and water, but it needs to be submerged at least
once every 4 hours to avoid suffocating.
Shark Telepathy. The warlock can magically command any shark within 120 feet of it, using a limited
telepathy.

Actions
Multiattack. The warlock makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its Sword of Fathoms.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Sword of Fathoms. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) slashing
damage, and if the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or begin
choking. The choking creature is incapacitated until the end of its next turn, when the effect ends on it

Eldritch Blast (Cantrip). Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 120 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d10) force
damage.

Centaur Mummy
Large Undead, Lawful Evil
AC: 13
HP: 85
Speed: 30'

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

20 (+5) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 5 (-3) 14 (+2) 12 (+1)
Saving Throws: Wis +5
Damage Vulnerabilities: fire
Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities: necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Common, Sylvan
Challenge: 6 (2,300 XP)

Charge. If the centaur mummy moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a pike
attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) piercing damage.

Actions
Multiattack. The centaur mummy makes two melee attacks, one with its pike and one with its hooves,
or it attacks with its pike and uses Dreadful Glare.

Pike. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) piercing damage.

Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage
plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution
saving throw or be cursed with mummy rot. The cursed target can't regain hit points, and its hit point
maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours that elapse. If the curse reduces the target's hit
point maximum to 0, the target dies, and its body turns to dust. The curse lasts until removed by the
remove curse spell or similar magic.

Dreadful Glare. The centaur mummy targets one creature it can see within 60 feet of it. If the target can
see the mummy, the target must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or
become frightened until the end of the mummy's next turn. If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or
more, it is also paralyzed for the same duration. A target that succeeds on the saving throw is immune
to the Dreadful Glare of all mummies (but not mummy lords) for the next 24 hours.

Magic Items
Helm of Underwater Action
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
While wearing this brass helmet, you can breathe underwater, you gain darkvision with a range of 60
feet, and you gain a swimming speed of 30 feet.

Barrier Tattoo (Medium)

Wondrous item (tattoo), rare (requires attunement)
Produced by a special needle, this magic tattoo depicts protective imagery and uses ink that resembles
liquid metal.

Tattoo Attunement. To attune to this item, you hold the needle to your skin where you want the tattoo to
appear, pressing the needle there throughout the attunement process. When the attunement is complete,
the needle turns into the ink that becomes the tattoo, which appears on the skin.
If your attunement to the tattoo ends, the tattoo vanishes, and the needle reappears in your space.

Protection. While you aren't wearing armor, the tattoo grants you an Armor Class of 15 + your
Dexterity modifier (maximum of +2). You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Staff of Dunamancy
Staff, simple weapon, melee weapon, very rare (requires attunement by a wizard)
This staff of polished gray wood bears numerous runes carved along its length. The staff has 10 charges
and regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 1,
the staff turns into dust and is destroyed.

While holding the staff, you can use an action to expend 2 or more of its charges to cast one of the
following spells from it, using your spell save DC and spell attack bonus: fortune's favor (2 charges),
pulse wave (3 charges), or gravity sinkhole (4 charges).
New Possibility. If you are holding the staff and fail a saving throw against a spell that targets only you,
you can turn your failed save into a successful one. This property can't be used again until the next
dawn.

Illuminator's Tattoo
Wondrous item (tattoo), common (requires attunement)
Produced by a special needle, this magic tattoo features beautiful calligraphy, images of writing
implements, and the like.

Tattoo Attunement. To attune to this item, you hold the needle to your skin where you want the tattoo to
appear, pressing the needle there throughout the attunement process. When the attunement is complete,
the needle turns into the ink that becomes the tattoo, which appears on the skin.
If your attunement to the tattoo ends, the tattoo vanishes, and the needle reappears in your space.

Magical Scribing. While this tattoo is on your skin, you can write with your fingertip as if it were an
ink pen that never runs out of ink.
As an action, you can touch a piece of writing up to one page in length and speak a creature's name.
The writing becomes invisible to everyone other than you and the named creature for the next 24 hours.
Either of you can dismiss the invisibility by touching the script (no action required). Once used, this
action can't be used again until the next dawn.

Eldritch Claw Tattoo

Wondrous item (tattoo), uncommon (requires attunement)
Produced by a special needle, this magic tattoo depicts clawlike forms and other jagged shapes.

Tattoo Attunement. To attune to this item, you hold the needle to your skin where you want the tattoo to
appear, pressing the needle there throughout the attunement process. When the attunement is complete,
the needle turns into the ink that becomes the tattoo, which appears on the skin.
If your attunement to the tattoo ends, the tattoo vanishes, and the needle reappears in your space.

Magical Strikes. While the tattoo is on your skin, your unarmed strikes are considered magical for the
purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks, and you gain a +1 bonus to
attack and damage rolls with unarmed strikes.

Eldritch Maul. As a bonus action, you can empower the tattoo for 1 minute. For the duration, each of
your melee attacks with a weapon or an unarmed strike can reach a target up to 15 feet away from you,
as inky tendrils launch toward the target. In addition, your melee attacks deal an extra 1d6 force
damage on a hit. Once used, this bonus action can't be used again until the next dawn.

Coiling Grasp Tattoo

Wondrous item (tattoo), uncommon (requires attunement)
Produced by a special needle, this magic tattoo has long intertwining designs.

Tattoo Attunement. To attune to this item, you hold the needle to your skin where you want the tattoo to
appear, pressing the needle there throughout the attunement process. When the attunement is complete,
the needle turns into the ink that becomes the tattoo, which appears on the skin.
If your attunement to the tattoo ends, the tattoo vanishes, and the needle reappears in your space.

Grasping Tendrils. While the tattoo is on your skin, you can, as an action, cause the tattoo to extrude
into inky tendrils, which reach for a creature you can see within 15 feet of you. The creature must
succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or take 3d6 force damage and be grappled by you. As an
action, the creature can escape the grapple by succeeding on a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity
(Acrobatics) check. The grapple also ends if you halt it (no action required), if the creature is ever more
than 15 feet away from you, or if you use this tattoo on a different creature.

Potion of Aqueous Form

Potion, rare
When you drink this potion, you transform into a pool of water. You return to your true form after 10
minutes or if you are incapacitated or die.

You're under the following effects while in this form:

Liquid Movement. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet. You can move over or through other liquids.
You can enter and occupy the space of another creature. You can rise up to your normal height, and you
can pass through even Tiny openings. You extinguish nonmagical flames in any space you enter.

Watery Resilience. You have resistance to nonmagical damage. You also have advantage on Strength,
Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.

Limitations. You can't talk, attack, cast spells, or activate magic items. Any objects you were carrying
or wearing meld into your new form and are inaccessible, though you continue to be affected by
anything you're wearing, such as armor.

Dunamancy Spells that the Staff

Can Cast
Gravity Sinkhole
4th-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a black marble)
Duration: Instantaneous
A 20-foot-radius sphere of crushing force forms at a point you can see within range and tugs at the
creatures there. Each creature in the sphere must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save,
the creature takes 5d10 force damage and is pulled in a straight line toward the center of the sphere,
ending in an unoccupied space as close to the center as possible (even if that space is in the air). On a
successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't pulled.

Pulse Wave
3rd-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Self (30-foot cone)
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
You create intense pressure, unleash it in a 30-foot cone, and decide whether the pressure pulls or
pushes creatures and objects. Each creature in that cone must make a Constitution saving throw. A
creature takes 6d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. And
every creature that fails the save is either pulled 15 feet toward you or pushed 15 feet away from you,
depending on the choice you made for the spell.
In addition, unsecured objects that are completely within the cone are likewise pulled or pushed 15 feet.

Fortune's Favor
2nd-level divination
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a white pearl worth at least 100 gp, which the spell consumes)
Duration: 1 hour
You impart latent luck to yourself or one willing creature you can see within range. When the chosen
creature makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw before the spell ends, it can dismiss
this spell on itself to roll an additional d20 and choose which of the d20s to use. Alternatively, when an
attack roll is made against the chosen creature, it can dismiss this spell on itself to roll a d20 and choose
which of the d20s to use, the one it rolled or the one the attacker rolled.
If the original d20 roll has advantage or disadvantage, the creature rolls the additional d20 after
advantage or disadvantage has been applied to the original roll.