Halaster's Tower
Encounters in Halaster's tower (areas 22 through 36)
are keyed to map 23. The tower is contained in a demi-
plane that exists outside Undermountain, yet all the
normal restrictions to magic apply (see "Alterations to
Magic," page 10). A portal connects areas 23 and 26,
allowing passage to and from the tower.
Ceilings in the tower are 20 feet high and flat. All
interior spaces are lit by continual flame spells cast on
gaudy iron wall sconces.- TOWER ENTRANCE
The double door to the north pushes open to reveal area
19 beyond. Creatures that head north through the door-
way get no sense that they're leaving Halaster's extradi-
mensional tower and returning to Undermountain.
This room, which has several other doors leading
away from it, contains the following features:
Statue. Standing atop a raised stone dais in the middle
of the room, facing the double door, is a life-size statue
of Halaster, his arms raised before him and his face
beari ng an awkward smile.
R at. Gnawing on a piece of celery at the foot of the
statue is an ordinary, harmless rat.
When he is not incapacitated, Halaster can touch the
statue to teleport himself and anything he is wearing or
carrying to a space within 5 feet of the statue in area 28
or the statue in area 33 (no action required).
23. GNOME WITH No NAME
A 4-foot-tall, 2-foot-wide bronze-framed mirror leans
against the far wall in this otherwise empty room. A
creature that gazes into the mirror sees its reflection
take the form of a female gnome in leather armor. She
speaks Common and Gnomish, and is surprised to see
the characters. Halaster trapped her in the mirror so
Jong ago that she has lost track of time. The gnome has
forgotten her name, after not interacting with other crea-
tures for centuries. She longs to be free and asks the
characters to help her.
The mirror is a Medium object with AC 11, 4 hit
points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
Breaking it or casting a successful dispel magic spell
(DC 1 9) on the mirror frees the gnome. However, with-
out the mirror's magic to sustain her life, she instantly
ages and dies, leaving nothing but dust, bones, and
scraps of leather armor behind.
- POTION BREWERY
Cauldron. Fire erupts from a hole in the middle of the
floor. Floating 1 foot above the fire is a hefty iron caul-
dron big enough for a person to hide in. A plume of
black smoke rises from inside the cauldron.
P araphernalia. Behind the cauldron rests a wooden
table cluttered with brewing equipment. The floor
around the table is strewn with shattered glass and
empty flasks. Tucked under the table is a wooden crate
with Halaster's personal rune burned into its sides.
LEVEL 23 I MAD WIZARD'S LArR
Demilich. Floating behind the table is a demilich that
looks like a human skull with a jagged crack that ex-
tends above and below one eye socket.
Shelves and Ladder. The walls are lined with 10-foot-
tall, wooden shelves packed with jars of pickled newts,
frogs' eyes, and other common ingredients used in
the brewing of potions. A wooden ladder on rollers is
attached to a rail mounted above the shelves.
This demilich is all that remains of Branta Myntion,
a wizard who fell in with a bad crowd. Her hunger for
magic set her on an evil path as she hunted down and
killed other wizards to acquire their spellbooks. Before
old age could claim her, Branta transformed herself
into a lich. In this form, she came to Undermountain to
plunder its magic. Halaster captured and enslaved her,
promising to free her if she helped him brew potions.
Tragically, that promise went unfulfilled.
Deprived of the ability to feed souls into her phylac-
tery, which lies hidden in a dungeon far from Waterdeep,
Branta's skeletal form deteriorated. Now, over a century
later, only her skull remains. Years of captivity have
driven the demilich insane, and it attacks anyone other
than Halaster.
Although powerful wards prevent the demilich from
leaving Halaster's tower, the tower is not considered its
lair. Consequently, the demilich doesn't gain lair actions,
nor does the tower exhibit the demilich's lair traits.CAULDRON
The cauldron is held aloft by magic, and the fire beneath
it is also magical. Casting dispel magic on the cauldron
causes it to fall; casting the spell on the fire extin-
guishes it.
Elixir of Timelessness. The cauldron contains twenty
doses of a hot, oily black elixir that has grains of sand
floating in it. A creature that imbibes a single dose of the
liquid gains the ability to cast time stop once in the next
24 hours. A creature that imbibes multiple doses of the
elixir gains the benefit of only the last dose consumed.
One minute after it is removed from a heat source, the
elixir cools and loses its magic.CRATE
The crate contains thirty corked and labeled bottles of
Halaster's Futuristic Frogmash, a foul-tasting home-
brewed wine. Each label bears Halaster's rune and the
date 1531 DR.
A detect magic spell reveals an aura of abjuration
magic around one of the bottles. Uncorking this bottle
causes an elder rune to appear in the air above it (see
"Elder Runes," page 12). The rune targets the crea-
ture that opened the bottle. If the bottle was opened
with a mage hand spell or similar magic, the rune
targets the caster of the spell, provided the caster is
within 60 feet of the opened bottle. Determine the rune
randomly by drawing a card from the Elder Runes Deck
(see appendix B).- FACTORY
Unsee n S ervants. Six living unseen servants (see
appendix A) are gathered around two wooden tables,
where they are using mortars and pestles to grind