The Temple of Xom

1. Antechamber

“Violet and yellow tiles cover the floor in an Arabian design. The small chamber is lit by ice blue light from six sconces along the walls. There are six statues of human animal hybrids holding spears. In the center is a massive marble statue of a round face with two arms, horns, and two short legs with hands for feet. In each hand is a holy symbol. Its face is contorted in an expression of perverse glee. Something brown crusts its lips and mouth like drool.”

When the PCs enter a tremendous noise like a ship torn apart by waves is heard, and a wall of dark miasma appears behind them, barring exit from the antechamber.

Barrier (CL18) Dispel DC 30: It is possible to cross the barrier, but it is ill-advised. Approaching it causes a PC or any other prisoner of Xom to become sickened until they move away. If they still persist in and cross it, they must save DC26 fortitude or take 10d12 damage. If they save they only receive an advanced flesh warp mutation. Crossing back the other way does not cause this effect.

When the PCs approach, the statue in the center of the room it animates and speaks: “Fools! Unknowingly or otherwise, you have trespassed into the abode of Xom, god of Chaos and mirth, and you shall rue the day you entered here, for you are now all playthings of the Madgod! Dare you not attempt to exit, for you shall be fortunate if DEATH is the punishment for your cowardice. Perhaps if you prove amusing to Xom he may deign to keep you as a slave!”

Following this speech the statue goes back to its original position and a voice from the air intones “Welcome, Little mice.” The door at the north end of chamber rises.

At this juncture please begin Xom’s attitude counter. See Xom’s attitude. He begins at 3. Note that the holy symbols in Xom’s hand are that of Yog-Sothoth and Tsathoggua. They can be removed.

2. Hall of Destiny

The room following the antechamber is completely dark. It is a wide, rectangular with locked stone doors (see Dungeon Features) to the north, east, and west. The south door, a stone portcullis door (see Dungeon Features) shuts as the players enter. A square of red tiles cordons off a 10x10ft square area. The rest of the tiles are violet and yellow, in a similar patters to the previous room.

Several rounds after the players enter (it doesn’t need to be a specific number, simply choose a dramatic moment), a maniacal laughter sounds.
This works exactly like “Hideous Laughter” cast as a heightened spell (DC20 Will saves). Following the laughter, a “hologramatic” projection of a massive, multicolored face with a jovial expression and its tongue hanging out flies through the air inside the room and disappears. This functions like a maximized empowered hypnotic pattern spell at CL15. It affects 23 HD of creatures (DC 20 Will), manifests where you choose and lasts D4+2 rounds. Take initiative as the laughter resolves.

One full round after the face manifests, two lamiae wielding +1 longswords and +1 light steel shields are teleported in as opposite ends of the room, closer to the north wall. If its necessary to make this encounter harder, use the Promethean Lamia in appendix II or one lamia and a Chuul (for extra overkill).

When the lamiae are defeated, the blue sconces on the walls light up and a bronze chest appears in the center of the red tiled area. The south door rises. If it was a good fight, Xom’s voice thunders “Xom is highly amused!” Increase Xom’s disposition accordingly. If the PCs defeated the lamiae too easily or in any way were “dull” (such as being cowardly, or defeating the lamiae in a “corny” way, casting any kid of sleep spell, etc.), then he is not amused, and his disposition decreases. “Woe betide him who displeaseth XOM!”, Xom will say.

Inside the chest, which is not locked, is a large Standard Key (see Dungeon Features), an antennae elixir (HA), and a Potion of Delayed Healing (appendix III). Note that this is a specially noted instance of Xom’s attitude change and does not reflect on normal attitude changes, or how they should be ministered (don’t do them for every room).

2 Lamia CR6

3. Votive Candles

- A short wide hall leads to this room. There are four large pits, with two walkways between them, leading to two exits. Runes glow on the floor of the north-south walks. Across the room is an alcove with a candle-covered altar. Above the pits to either side of the alcove are four lion’s head statues on the wall, two on each side, with gaping mouths.-

When the PCs enter the room, the two stone portcullis doors to the north and south rise. In the alcove on the altar is a grinning statue of an obese toad-like creature with bat ears and gems inset in its eyes. The gems are cursed emeralds (see appendix III). This is an altar to the god Tsathoggua. The altar is covered in small lit black candles. In front is a large unlit black candle and a silver and amethyst jewelry box. Lighting the unlit candle at the altar deactivates the obvious magical traps on the north and south walkways. When this is done, the runes on the floor cease to glow, and then disappear.

The jewelry box is locked (DC26) and is worth 500gp if sold as a mundane object.. See Antimagic jewelry box (appendix III). The box only detects as magical if the caster using Detect Magic succeeds at a DC20 spellcraft check. Inside the box is a ring of jumping +5, a medium elemental gem (fire) and a wand of Cure Serious Wounds with 4 charges.

Stepping on any of the squares indicated by an X on the map (on the walkways) triggers a magical effect from the lion statues. This effect is like Forceful Hand, but is an invisible gust of wind that pushes all creatures and objects on the walkway. This is a bullrush attempt with a +25 bonus. The effect continues until there is nothing touching the squares inscribed with the magical runes. These runes are not pressure plates, they are glyphs of warding (DDevice DC31) and any amount of weight beyond a mote of dust triggers them, but they can also be dispelled. They are CL11 which makes the dispel DC22. Dispelling one rune only dispels the rune on the 5 foot square on which it is inscribed. When the effect is triggered, the lion statues emit a thundering roar . If the statues are destroyed, the effect does not trigger. Each one is solid stone. They have hardness 5 and 90hp.

Spiked Pit (Hazard) 20ft deep 2d6 fall and +d6 spikes with +12 attack (d4+2).

If the players deliberate too long in this room, Xom may be displeased and his attitude may decrease. However, people falling into holes is likely amusing to Xom.

6. Wellkind Stones

“In this room there are six stone pillars spaced evenly apart in two rows. Atop each pillar is a teal colored crystal in a metal. stand. The tiles here seem charred as if by fire. A stone door in the northeast quadrant bears the strange appellation “Men’s Room”. On the north wall is a blue and orange mosaic of a massive insectile creature with many eyes, and a large gaping mouth flanked by two huge pincers.”

The stones on each of the six pillars are Wellkind Stones (see appendix III). These stones have a negative weight quotient, and they exert a force of about 20lb against local gravity. Each of the stones is in fact chained to the metal stand that appears to support it. The chain is attached at the bottom of the stone on the part inside the stand; only a small part of it can be seen. The chain is then anchored into the metal below it. If any of the stones are removed without the chain being pulled at the same time, then it sets off a mechanism when the chain, which is very fragile, snaps. In order to avoid triggering the mechanism one has to pull the chain and maybe tie it off to continue the tension. This information can be determined by a DC26 Device check.

Above the room on the ceiling is a metal grating. If one of the six stones is removed without the chain being pulled, oil begins to rain from the ceiling and the south door slams shut. The oil rains fro the ceiling for 10 rounds with a +15 attack bonus to hit everyone in the room. One round after the oil begins to rain, advanced fire beetles begin to swarm in from holes in two of the mosaic of Ran-Tegoth’s eyes. Each round for 5 rounds, d10 of these advanced fire beetles enter the room. These beetles explode when they die, dealing d4 fire damage to each adjacent square. Anyone covered in oil also continues to burn (they catch on fire as per the rules for fire on page 444 of the CRB; Reflex DC15/d6 fire damage, save each round again.)

Advanced Flash Fire Beetles CR3 XP 300 each Recommended 1/2 for an average of 4050

If the players disable the trap, award them 3500xp. The door in the northeast quadrant is locked DC39 and can be EDIT locked and can be only opened with the “Men’s Room key” from the extradimensional tavern in room 7. “Men’s Room” is written in abyssal.

The door to the north is concealed as the mouth of Ran-Tegoth. A hidden plate in the mosaic in the west corner can be pressed to open the door. The per DC of the door is 19 and the Per DC of the pressure plate in the mosaic, which is one of Ran-Tegoth’s eyes in the picture, only most of the yes are yellow, and this eye is green, is DC24.3.

5. Green Key Room

“A long ramp leads down into a kind of gutter. At the bottom is a pile of skulls and bones, and a metal grating on the side which is a drain Thick slime coats the floor. A 1 foot lip surrounds the depressed area and the ceiling rises high, 10 feet above the doorway and previous hall, then slopes down with the ramp. The area surrounding the gutter is paved with green tiles.” A hall paved with green tiles leads from the thwomp’s lair, around a corner to a slightly wider, long room. Here there is a slope down at a 45 degree angle. The floor is slick with a viscous, clear slime. Moving up the slope from the far end of the room requires a DC20 acrobatics check to avoid falling prone. Players can move at half speed in order to avoid the check.

At the bottom of the ramp is a pressure plate (PER DC21) which, if pressed, causes a glass ball of viscous fluid 10 feet in diameter to fall from a catch in the ceiling (See map). The ball is suspended by a rusty chain (AC 10, Hardness 5, HP10 50% concealment) and hangs 3 feet from the ceiling. The glass ball is marked on the map. This can be recognized easily with a DC15 dungeoneering check. At the bottom of the ramp; on the wall is a drain b y a pile of small skulls. One of these skulls is a witchlight lantern (HA) and 4 are goblin skull bombs. Inside the glass ball is a gelatinous cube. It is clear and thus looks like water. By examining it and succeeding at a DC24 perception check a PC can notice that it is not water inside it (based on the way light refracts through it, it seems more like glass or Jello). At the bottom of the glass ball are a number of gems (total worth 900 gp, onyx, quartz, and ruby) and a large green verdigris-encrusted key. If the glass ball falls, there is a 50% chance it breaks. If it doesn’t break, it rolls down the slope dealing 4d6 slam damage (REF DC21 half) and smashes at the bottom of the ramp. This releases the gelatinous cube inside either way. Creatures occupying the space where the ball breaks are engulfed by the gelatinous cube. If the PCs are not aware, the gelatinous cube also gets a surprise round.

Gelatinous Cube CR4. XP800

Because the globe is a counterweight, levitating it or raising it, or otherwise doing anything to lift or neutralize such a mechanism raises the steel bars. When the ball drops, the bars raise.

When the players cross the threshold to 4B back from this room, Xom cackles “What magnificent toys!!”, and then teleports the PCs to [14] for 21 second, then to [7] for 1 second, then to [18] for 1 second, and then back in place. Describe each of these rooms only briefly and partially.

Temple of Xom

7.Ran-Tegoth’s Bar and Grill

The mouth of the mosaic in [7] is 5 feet from the floor and opens to a short straight corridor terminating in a wooden door which says “Ran-Tegoth’s Bar and Grill” in abyssal.

“Strange music (Smokestack Lightning) plays seemingly from nowhere. Behind a bar counter a man with the head of a fly and a shirt that says ‘I got summoned to the material plane and all I got was this stupid t-shirt” polishes a bar glass. To the left a large pig-headed man roasts something humanoid on a spit with a pleased expression. It smells like pork”

The thing behind the bar is a Coloxus Demon (B3) who starts with a disposition of friendliness. The pig-headed man has the stats of an ogre but does not speak any languages other than Abyssal. His name is Bobo. When the players enter, the Colobus demon, whose name is Clarke, will hail them in a buzzing voice and offer them a round on the house. A DC15 sense motive check reveals that he has no ulterior motive other than to run his business. The ale served here cures 3d8 hp and also satisfies all hunger. Those who drink more of it than their size should allow may become inebriated, but it is otherwise harmless.

The first round of ale here is free, but subsequent rounds cost a fibonacci’d 10 gold (10, 20, 30, 50, 80, etc). This is the cost to buy each person in a 3-5 person party a round. If this libation is removed from the tavern or if Clarke dies or leads, it loses all its curative powers.

Clarke’s shirt is a +2 Robe of Fortification (it confers a +2 bonus to ac, but its cloth and thus has no armor check penalty). Clarke is willing to engage the players in friendly conversation. He can speculate about the elder gods, Xom, and his mother Yarthoon, and the realms below the temple, but won’t say much. He knows that there is a deep system of caverns below the temple that can only be accessed after a certain seal is removed. He will accept trades equal in gold to the price of his ale, and can make any knowledge check a Coloxus demon could make, if he is so obliged.

The PCs are not meant to fight Clarke. If they engage him he will first attempt to cast a spell which banishes them from the tavern (which is a nextradimensional space). This spell returns all the players to the antechamber unless they succeed on a DC26 will save. If this fails, he will fight, but will also accept a reasonable surrender, on the grounds that he is used to his customers becoming rowdy and challenging him and each other. Behind the counter in plain sight is the Mens Room key, a large silver key on a wooden plaque that says “Mens Room” in abyssal. Clarke will willingly bestow this key on anyone who asks to use the bathroom, or who asks for it.

8. Men’s Room

The stone door to this area has a large keyhole into which the key from room 7 fits.

Beyond the door is a long downward flight of stairs. It smells of urine. The room below is dark. A small lever to the right of the entrance lights wall sconce with a blue flame, revealing…A bathroom, with two stalls, two urinals, a sink, and three stalls.

“This dark room consists of three stalls, two stone sinks, and three strange stone basins on the wall (urinals). The floor is set with dirty beige tiles.”

The urinals no longer function, neither does the sink. The north wall is a janitor’s closet. it is not locked, but a mop wrapped in barbed wire falls out and might hit whoever opens the door.

Closet Door Trap per DC21 (to notice weight on the door) DDevice 10

Trigger-When door is opened. Effect-A heavy mop wrapped in barbed wire falls out and hits you in the face (+12 attack, d3 damage +poison (DC20 fort, freq 1/min for 5 min 1 int damage, cure 2 saves)

Inside the closet is a bucket of rags and a magical plunger (appendix III). There is also a holy symbol of Xom hanging (a PC wearing this can treat Mom’s attitude as 1 higher than it actually is) and a leather belt which appears to be magical but is actually a girdle of opposite gender (CL10 spellcraft 30, fort DC20). If you look closely while examining the belt, it has “A strange symbol” on the inside, which is a male/female gender symbol (transposed). If the PCs examine the belt very carefully, you can draw it for them.

Stall 1

Inside the stall there’s a male skeleton halfway in the toilet. When the door is open the skeleton animates itself and sings:

“Colon Blow, oh Colon Blow,

From the large intestines,

to the sphincter far below

Colon Blow, oh Colon Blow

It cleaned me out

Without a doubt

My spirit’s free now,

What a way to go, Colon Blow”

He completes his song and then flushes himself down the toilet, spinning comically before sinking all the way into the toilet. On top of the toilet is a jar of Colon Blow (appendix III).

Stall 2

This stall is empty and stained. An old tube of paper (cardboard) sits on the floor.

Stall 3

In this stall the toilet is clogged with ancient black sludge. Anyone in 5 ft of the door must save DC20 fort or be sickened for d6 rounds. Attempting to flush the toilet or approaching the toilet with the plunger causes the ghost to awaken; the muck bubbles and from it comes the Toilet Ghost (appendix III).

Toilet Ghost CR 6 2400XP

When the toilet ghost is destroyed, it will appear again in 2d4+1 minutes unless the toilet is successfully plunged. This requires a plunger or similar device. Casting Consecrate on the toilet also puts the ghost to rest. When the toilet is plunged, the wall behind the stall lowers into the floor (DC28 per to notice this secret door) revealing the passage to [9] which is a dark path through roughly hewn stone.

Searching this corridor it is possible to find a Hamsa Talisman (HA) in a crevice on the floor.

9. Invisible Causeway

To begin with, the walkways in this room are invisible without detect magic. The areas shaded on the map are visible platforms. All these platforms and the entire walkway are floating magically in space. True seeing, arcane sight, etc., also shows the walkway. When detect magic is cast, it shows just the outline of the walkway limned in blue light.

The bottom 20 feet of this room is filled with green slime. Within 10 feet of this room, a creature must make a dc 13 fortitude save every other round or take 1 constitution damage. There are four entrances to this room, which is 100 feet high. One is a secret entrance which can only open from the other side, this entrance is at 80 feet in the northwest corner. In the center of the south wall is an entrance at 40 feet, on the east wall is an entrance at 60 feet, and on the north wall is another entrance at 80 feet. Actually, there is one more, a fifth entrance by which the chest at platform H can be accessed. There are three switches, a red triangle switch at A, a blue square switch at B, and a pentagon-shaped yellow switch at C. Each of these switches is on a stone podium.

There is a large sized wasp nest attached to the ceiling. When the players come within 60 feet of it two wasp swarms come out and attack, After these wasps are destroyed, every d4+1 rounds another wasp swarm comes out, to a maximum of two wasp swarms at a time. If the nest is destroyed or calmed, this ends. Spells or abilities that calm vermin might stop them from attacking. The nest has an AC of 16, DR 5/fire, and 40 hit points.

Some actions on the walkway might be difficult, considering that even with detect magic it is completely transparent and most parts of it are 3 feet wide. The walkway from the door leading from room 2 goes west, at an incline ascending 20 feet, to the platform with switch A, then turns and goes north about 60 feet until it turns again, ascending 10 feet to 70 feet, heads south, and then at the next turn ascends to 80 feet and continues to join up with the platform that leads from the secret door in [8]. East from the platform leading from room 2 it heads to a bend where it declines 10 feet (the walkway here is now 30 feet above the 20 foot lake of green slime filling the bottom of this room) and turns. Then there is a break in the walkway, nearly 10 feet long, which must be jumped or levitated or bridged.

From there it turns, descends to 25 feet (at this level, players are in danger of inhaling the fumes of the green slime, and must save), leading to the platform with switch C. Directly west of the switch is an unstable area, on each side north and south of the switch is a hole in the platform 10 feet wide such that the switch can only be approached from the east or west.

Unstable floor trap per DC 18

If more than 180 lb is placed on this section of the platform, the rock gives way, dropping whatever is on it. Reflex DC 18 or fall. Making this save means you are able to grab the ledge; if the victim rolls better than 21 then they don’t fall at all, but jump out of the way.

Invisible (detect magic) platform F moves between the platform with switch C and the platform at 35 feet which climbs to the platform with the entrance to 14. This platform begins to move after switch A is pressed. It comes only within 2 feet of each side so that it is necessary to kind of hop onto it and then onto the next part. From the east-most visible platform, the walkway then leads to the switch B platform, then continues west, ascending 10 feet, and then east, and ascends another 10 feet to meet with the northwest platform.

The entrances to the north and west are closed by stone portcullis doors. These doors have no keyhole and remain closed until the switches are pressed in order: Triangle, square, circle. The switches also have to be pressed within 5 minutes of each other.

When the switches are pressed in sequence the north and south door rise and platform B rises from the acid to a depth of 21 feet, making it accessible from the secret passage from 12B, or with flight. On the platform is a large steel chest which is locked.

Poison Trap (DC26) per DC24 DDevice DC27 CR 5

Attack +10 touch (1d3 damage + concentrated cloud thorn venom(UW) onset d4 rounds, save DC16 fortitude, d3 STR, d3 dex, freq 1/hr for 3 hours. Cure 1 save + numbness (see UW) Wearing the holy symbol of Yog-sothoth or Tsathoggua stops this trap from triggering, if the person who is wearing the symbol is the one opening the chest.

The concealed door next to this platform has a DC of 26 to find when specifically inspecting the wall it is on. It can only be opened from the inside of the passage leading from [12b].

Inside the chest is a potion of delayed healing, 2 potions of cure serious wounds, and the Chaos Mace, and an extra Standard Key. Finally, roll once on Loot Table 1:

1-15 Haunted Shoes

16-18. Corrosive Burst Rapier

19-24. Xorn Robe

25-28 Ring of Sustenance

29-30. Decoy Ring

31-36. Spirit Blade

37-41. +1 Defiant Full Plate (Chaos)

43-45. Polarity hammer

46-56. 10 Random pots

57-60. Silent metamagic rod

61-65. rod of wonder

66-71. Boots of striding and springing

71-82. Handy Haversack

83-86. Phoenix Feather

86-90 Med wondrous items

91-95 Ethereal Mithral Chain

99 Dark Grimoire (HA)

11. When Tiles Attack

Leading east from [2] is a curved corridor with a fornicated ceiling. Small colored tiles decorate the areas between the archways of blue stone. There are four alcoves along the corridor, each containing a different devotional altar.

Alcoves

Temple of Xom

Appendix III: Items

Cursed Emerald

Aura appears mundane; necromancy CL3 Slot - Weight -

Description: This large gem appears to be mundane unless the user casting detect magic succeeds on a DC 18 spell craft check; to determine that it is cursed, the DC is 28. Once per day, when the holder of the gem rolls a reflex or will save, they must roll twice and take the worse result. When this occurs the gem flashes once. Tsathoggua’s gems have been known to fall and roll long distances, sometimes leading their owners into a bad situation. When this occurs if the owner chooses not to follow the gem, they must first succeed on a DC15 will save in order to do so. That save is not subject to the preroll effect. Construction Bestow Curse, Craft Wondrous Item, Emerald worth 500gp

Antimagic Jewelry Box

TO BE CONTINUED