Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Any nonmagical weapon that strikes a statue for the

purpose of dealing damage to it turns to dust.

MAGIC MOUTH

In Halaster's voice, the magic mouth speaks the follow-

ing words in Common before disappearing: "Welcome

to the Obstacle Course! Place all weapons and magic

items in the carts for safekeeping. You won't need them.

Hurry! Time is running out."

MINE CARTS

The axles, wheels, and brake handles of the mine carts

are rusted in place. A prestidigitation cantrip or similar

magic can free the mechanisms and render a mine cart

functional for the spell's duration, but it still squeals

loudly when rolled across the floor.

The characters are under no compulsion to heed

Halaster's magic mouth spell. Any items they place in

the carts and leave there are safe for 24 hours. After

that, all u nattended objects in the carts disappear-

taken by Halaster to area 5 on level 23. Characters can

find the missing items waiting for them there.

COVERED PIT

This 40 -foot-deep hidden pit (see "Covered Pits," page

194) is located between the two northernmost statues.

Halaster has cast a glyph of warding spell at the bottom

of the pit, set to trigger a fireball spell (save DC 22) when

a creature lands on the pit floor. The fireball is created

using a 7th-level spell slot, engulfs all creatures in the

pit, and deals 42 (12d6) fire damage on a failed save, or

half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures in

the pit have disadvantage on the saving throw, as there's

precious little space to maneuver.

TELEPORT TRAP

Halaster has placed a teleport trap (see "Teleport

Traps," page 194) between the two southern statues.

A creature teleported by this trap arrives at a location

determined by rolling a d20 and consulting the fol-

lowing table:

d20 Teleport Destination

1 -1 2 The teleport trap in area 10

13-18 The teleport trap in area 19

19-20 The teleport trap in area 40c

Additional Effect: Elder Rune. The first time a crea-

ture triggers this teleport trap, an elder rune (see "Elder

Runes," page 12) appears in the air between the two

southern statues a split second after the creature disap-

pears, and at the same moment a booming voice shouts,

"Teleported!" Draw a card from the Elder Runes Deck

(see appendix B) to determine which rune appears. This

rune targets all creatures within 60 feet of it with the

same effect (bane or boon, determined randomly).

2. C LACKING FLOOR

The stones that comprise the floor of this 10-foot-high
chamber make clacking noises when stepped on-a
crude but effective alarm system installed by dwarves
long ago. A character who searches the floor for traps

LEVEL 15 1 OBSTACLE COURSE

before stepping on it discovers the hidden alarm system

with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check.

A secret door in the west wall opens into area 3, and

north of the room is a hidden pit trap.

COVERED PIT

This hidden pit (see "Covered Pits," page 194) is 20

feet deep, but the bottom 10 feet is occupied by a gelat-

inous cube. Any creature that falls into the pit takes

(^10) (3d6) acid damage as it sinks into the cube and is
automatically engulfed by it. If the cube is attacked from
above, it rises out of the pit on its turn and tries to engulf
anything in its path.

3. STUFFED MONSTERS
   The secret doors leading to this chamber are 10 feet
   square. It takes a singular or combined Strength of 16
   to push open each door. The room is choked with dust
   and cobwebs. Five dead creatures stuffed with sawdust
   and displayed in lifelike poses are crammed into the
   northern half of the room. The stuffed monsters and
   their weights are summarized below:

• An aarakocra with wings spread, clutching a javelin
  (120 pounds)


• A reared-up ankheg (600 pounds)


• A young brass dragon with wings tucked in, head low-
  ered, and jaws agape (75 0 pounds)


• An ettercap with its arms raised menacingly
  (200 pounds)


• A hell hound with a continual flame spell cast in its
  gullet (150 pounds)

4. CAUGHT IN THE TENTACLES
   Ceilings. The central portion of this chamber has a
   domed ceiling 20 feet high. Wings to the east and west
   have 15-foot-high arched ceilings.
   Crevasse. Orange light and intense heat spill from a cre-
   vasse that splits the room nearly in two. (The source
   of the light is a river of lava 30 feet below, which wid-
   ens toward the southeast, originating in area 40d.)
   Statues. Two life-size iron statues of mind flayers sit in
   opposite corners of the central chamber, facing one
   another with their tentacles outstretched.
   Halaster placed the mind flayer statues here and
   trapped them. A detect magic spell reveals auras of abju-
   ration and evocation magic around each one. It doesn't
   require an ability check to realize that a humanoid head
   would fit nicely inside each mind flayer's tentacles.
   Any humanoid that passes between the statues must
   succeed on a DC 22 Intelligence saving throw or be
   charmed by the statues for 1 minute. The charmed crea-
   ture must use all of its movement on its turn to move
   toward the nearest statue and stick its head between the
   tentacles. (A Small humanoid must climb the front of the
   statue to do so.) Only one creature at a time can place
   its head between the tentacles. A humanoid that places
   its head between the tentacles is no longer charmed but
   is stunned and remains so until another creature sepa-
   rates it from the statue or until the statue is destroyed.