Dungeon of the Mad Mage - Intro

Introduction

After the Storm King's Thunder campaign ended last year[1], we were itching to restart our gaming sessions. In the greatest secrecy, Groin's player and I agreed on all the necessary details for him to take over DMing with another off-the-shelf adventure: the titular Dungeon of the Mad Mage. He studied the book, while I updated my old character and painted up a new mini for him. For maximum effect, we started the first new session with me still in charge. I wrapped up everything left over, including downtime activities, and managed to draw it out until everyone was present[2].

Into the Yawning Portal

I had the party reassemble at a random tavern in Waterdeep to reminisce about their adventures. An elf sat down at their table and greeted them as old friends, although none recognized him; and he proposed to take them to a dungeon with presumably many treasures inside, certainly interesting for a group of such famous adventurers. The party was suspicious, but only Szivem saw through the facade. Zyn (covered up by an illusion) was both glad to be recognized and unhappy to have his name spoken aloud, but agreed to take them to their destination[3]. They walked the streets of Waterdeep to another tavern: The Yawning Portal. And on the way, they suddenly noticed that Groin was no longer with them. At this point, I switched places with the actual DM of this adventure, and it was on!

The main hall has a well in the center, which is in fact the entrance to the so-called Undermountain. Would-be adventurers enter all the time, though not everyone comes back. As we discussed plans (the party needing no more motivation, after loot was mentioned), we were approached by an aristocratic merchant called Obaya who offered to buy up any magic items. Tari also scored the first side quest of the adventure, by noticing a Harper musician in the tavern, and accepting a bag of moonstones to be taken to a Harper outpost down under.

After stocking up on parchment for map-making purposes and night vision goggles for Solid, we got back to the tavern and entered the well. People there would let you down using ropes for 1 GP, although I used my flying broom and Ireth transformed into a flying snake.

The first cavernous hall was already mysterious in more ways than one.

Szivem noticed a peep hole and heard a whooshing sound from beyond, catching a glimpse of someone (or something) running away. Which was strange, as we were moving at half speed.

Solid broke down the battered shields hanging on the walls, only to be rewarded with an inscription:

Beyond the pillar forest the mad mage waits

Casting spells behind magic gates

I cast a Detect Magic ritual, only to see that the air itself was brimming with enchantment - a quite powerful one, given that it slowed us all down.

After all avenues of investigation were exhausted, we started down the one and only corridor, arriving to a large hall with reliefs of all the known demonic species on the walls. In the middle, a lone Kenku skeleton pointed towards one of the reliefs, which we searched thoroughly and found an entrance to a corridor dug through the earth. More searching revealed peep holes in the eyes of another relief, showing a large hall beyond the wall, but nothing valuable inside. We went through the secret corridor, and I left a skeleton lying around[4] to open it up for us if anything went awry.

The corridor opened into a large man-made but overgrown cavern, flooded with sewage. We noticed the statue of a mer-man in the water with his head pulsing strangely. After effecting a Water Breathing ritual, we went forward. Ireth was still flying (represented by the panther mini, which is a stand-in for any beast form), I took Szivem and Tari on my flying broom, while the tough guys waded into the water. Roll for initiative!

A corrupted-looking ooze rose from the putrid waters, surprising most of the party.[5]

But Sammael was ready, and his silvered blade slashed across the thing. He was rewarded with an acid splash to the face. Ireth flew in to bite with serpent fangs, and was also poisoned in return. A successful acrobatics check saw her balancing on one foot upon the statue.

The ooze counterattacked, smashing with gelatinous limbs and releasing a foul poisonous cloud. As we coughed up blood, the fight began in earnest.

I put up a phalanx of skeletons who marched out from my Bag of Holding[6] and began firing shortbows into the ooze. As the big jelly was easy to hit, the skeletons put out a surprising amount of damage.
Sammael flew back, but the ooze shot him down with magic missiles. Luckily, I was around to patch him up[7].

With a couple more spells and shots, the ooze was defeated, and there we were - already bloodied, 5 minutes into the dungeon. OK, make that a couple of hours, but still.

And we had also made a disturbing discovery. Magic spells of a higher level were blocked; nothing above what a 5th level caster can do went off.

We went back to the larger (and drier) chamber to recuperate, and restart our adventuring at the nearest possible occasion!

[1] Not yet published at this point.

[2] Well, everyone who was expected to come. This included Ireth's player joining us over Skype.

[3] Also happy that there were no more questions, as I had literally no idea what is up.

[4] Literally.

[5] I was certainly oblivious, navigating the cave on my broomstick.

[6] A literal army in a pocket.

[7] They say that a necromancer is just a really, really late healer. He he. But seriously, I took the "Healer" feat, knowing that the party will miss their life cleric.