TEXT: 1
  STONE DEAD
  A Short Adventure for Four 14th-
  Level Player Characters
  CREDITS
  Design:
  Stan!
  Editing:
  Penny Williams
  Typesetting:
  Nancy Walker
  Cartography:
  Todd Gamble
  Web Production:
  Julia Martin
  Web Development:
  Mark A. Jindra
  Graphic Design:
  Sean Glenn, Cynthia Fliege
  Playtesting:
  Christopher Perkins, Jeff Quick, 
  John Rateliff, Charles Ryan, 
  Tammie Ryan
  Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game by E.
  Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and on the new edition of the
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet,
  Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, and Peter Adkison.
  D&D, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and DUNGEON MASTER are registered trademarks owned
  by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The d20 logo is a trademark owned by
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All Wizards characters, character names,
  and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks owned by
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.
  Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein 
  is prohibited without the express written permission of 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  ©2003 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. 
  Made in the U.S.A. 
  This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations,
  places, or events is purely coincidental.
  This Wizards of the Coast game product contains no Open Game Content. 
  No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
  To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, 
  please visit www.wizards.com/d20.
  The Temple of Redcliff is a short D&D adventure for four 10th-level characters. Consult
  the Scaling the Adventure sidebar for ways to modify the scenario
  for higher or lower levels of play. 
  This scenario can be incorporated into any style of campaign. Since the adventure
  takes place in an abandoned temple and includes undead creatures, any party that
  chooses to undertake the mission should include a cleric.
  Stone Dead is a short D&D adventure for four 14th-level
  player characters (PCs). Consult the Scaling the Adven-
  ture sidebar for ways to modify the scenario for higher
  or lower levels of play.
  This scenario can be incorporated into any style of
  campaign. It is set in Respite, an isolated town along
  the banks of a river fed by a nearby hot spring, so it can
  easily be placed in a remote, forested area of any cam-
  paign world.
  PREPARATION
  You (the DM) need the D&D core rulebooks, including
  the Player’s Handbook, the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide, and
  the Monster Manual. This adventure also uses the grave-
  crawler, a creature from Monster Manual II, but all infor-
  mation from that book needed to run the adventure
  has been provided here.
  You can place this adventure in any section of your
  campaign world that features a forested area in which
  an isolated town might exist. If you have a remote town
  that is already known as a place to seek healing, so
  much the better. Adapt the material given here as you
  see fit to make it work with your campaign. 
  To get started, print out this module (including the
  maps). The maps used here were originally presented in
  March 2001 as part of the Map-A-Week feature on the
  D&D website. They are available for you to download at
  <www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mw/mw200
  10301x>. For the purpose of this adventure, the “sanitar-
  ium” noted on the original maps has been changed to a
  “sanatorium.” So instead of a hospital for the mentally ill,
  the facility is a resort for convalescing from an illness or
  for maintaining or improving one’s health. 
  ADVENTURE 
  BACKGROUND
  Respite is a town renowned for its tranquility and isola-
  tion. This remote village gained notoriety many years
  ago because the waters of its hot mineral spring were
  said to have restorative powers. This rumor turned out
  to be untrue—any healing people received in Respite
  came from its dedicated clerics. But the combination of
  the divine healing and hot mineral baths nonetheless
  provided comfort and healing for the ill and injured,
  and the out-of-the-way site soon became famous far and
  wide as a place to convalesce, or simply to improve
  one’s health.
  Life in the town centers around a sanatorium run by
  clerics dedicated to Obad-Hai—the steadfastly neutral
  
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  god of nature. For a modest donation, the clerics take in
  travelers, let them soak in the warm spring waters, and
  use divine spells to heal their wounds. 
  Within the past few weeks, however, a terrible
  tragedy has befallen the town of Respite. The trouble
  began when a rare undead creature called a grave-
  crawler (see Monster Manual II) found its way to the
  town and took up residence under the graveyard. The
  gravecrawler really meant no harm to the residents, but
  the unusually high and warm groundwater forced it to
  remain close enough to the surface that its calcifying
  aura could affect those who visited the cemetery.
  The clerics were mystified by the mysterious illness
  that seemed to be slowly calcifying some of the towns-
  folk. Suspecting some sort of plague, they sent word to
  others of their order, in hopes of finding a cause (and
  perhaps a cure) for the malady.
  One of their messages was intercepted by Krekul-
  phyr, a gargoyle cleric of Nerull, the dark god of death
  and decay. Thanks to his affinity for death and the
  undead, Krekulphyr correctly deduced the cause of the
  problem and saw an opportunity to advance his deity’s
  agenda. After petitioning Nerull for a boon through
  lengthy rituals and expensive sacrifices, the gargoyle
  cleric was granted the ability to command a grave-
  crawler, even though his cleric level would not ordinar-
  ily have permitted him to do so. Upon gaining this abil-
  ity, he flew to Respite, perched on top of the
  sanatorium, and commanded the gravecrawler to move
  under the inhabited sections of town.
  The plague, it seemed, was spreading. Some of the
  townsfolk, and even a few of the clerics, packed up and
  fled for their lives. Others stayed, convinced that they
  were too healthy, tough, or just plain lucky to be struck
  down. They were wrong. Eventually, the entire remain-
  ing populace was turned to stone.
  Krekulphyr moved into the catacombs beneath the
  sanatorium and built a shrine to Nerull. Then he called
  in the two wings of gargoyle fighters under his com-
  mand, told them where to perch, and ordered them to
  keep an eye out for visitors. They were to kill any inter-
  lopers who attacked them or attempted to enter the
  sanatorium; otherwise they were not to interfere with
  visitors in any way, since more deaths from the calcify-
  ing aura would serve to glorify Nerull still further.
  Krekulphyr then went back inside the sanatorium,
  fasted and prayed to Nerull for assistance, and com-
  manded the gravecrawler to appear. With his dark
  god’s aid, he performed a long, complex ritual to bind
  the creature inside a stone golem, thereby creating a
  symbiotic construct known as a deathstone. With the
  stone golem’s melee prowess and the gravecrawler’s
  calcification ability, the deathstone is exactly the
  instrument of destruction that Krekulphyr has been
  looking for, and he intends to send it forth to bring
  death to all the civilized lands.
  KREKULPHYR
  Krekulphyr has spent his entire life in the active serv-
  ice of Nerull, and the death god is well pleased with his
  pqqqqrs
  pqqqqrs
  SCALING THE ADVENTURE
  Stone Dead is designed for a party of four 14th-level
  adventurers, but it can easily be modified to present
  an appropriate challenge for parties of different
  sizes or levels. Consider adapting the adventure as
  follows. 
  Four 12th-Level PCs: Run the adventure as writ-
  ten, but with the following changes.
  •
  Reduce the number of gargoyles standing guard
  in town by half, leaving two on the gate keep and
  four on the sanatorium. Maintain the same ratio
  of fighters to rogues for the gargoyles in the sana-
  torium encounter.
  •
  Reduce Krekulphyr’s cleric level to 8 and adjust his
  equipment accordingly. Make sure that his Fortitude
  save remains high enough that he does not have to
  worry about the deathstone’s calcifying aura.
  •
  Parties that do not have at least one +2 weapon
  may not be able to do any harm the deathstone.
  But the gargoyles have several +2 and +3 weap-
  ons, which the characters can acquire by defeat-
  ing them.
  Four 16th-Level PCs: Run the adventure as written,
  but with the following changes.
  •
  To increase the difficulty of the gate keep and
  sanatorium encounters, give each gargoyle sentry
  an additional two levels of its chosen class and
  the Improved Critical feat with its chosen
  weapon.
  •
  Increase Krekulphyr’s cleric level to 16. Also,
  outfit the deathstone with magic armor of your
  choice and give him Combat Reflexes as a
  bonus feat.
  
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  cleric’s efforts. Thus, when Krekulphyr sought special
  boons during his mission to Respite, the god was dis-
  posed to grant his requests.
  Krekulphyr hates the “softskins”—his term for
  most humanoids—with a passion. He believes that
  the stony complexions of gargoyles make them not
  only handsomer than softskins, but also clearly supe-
  rior to them.
  The cleric has gathered two wings of gargoyles to
  serve as his holy warriors and trained them in the arts
  of death and trickery. Though all his minions profess
  loyalty to Nerull, Krekulphyr correctly surmises that
  they are not as dedicated to the dark god as he is, and
  that it is actually fear of Krekulphyr himself that keeps
  them in line.
  Though Krekulphyr’s primary goal is to advance
  Nerull’s power in the mortal world, he is happiest
  when circumstances permit him to do so in an espe-
  cially elegant manner. The discovery of the grave-
  crawler—a creature capable of both killing and calcify-
  ing the softskins—seemed the perfect way to advance
  his deity’s agenda while making his own statement
  about the value of stone over soft flesh. 
  ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
  The PCs arrive in Respite just after Krekulphyr has
  completed the deathstone. They find the town deserted
  except for statues of the townsfolk, but these statues are
  subtly different than those of creatures that have been
  suddenly petrified.
  Eventually their explorations bring them into the
  sanatorium for which the town is justly famous. After
  defeating Krekulphyr’s gargoyle troops, they face the
  gargoyle cleric and his deathstone in the underground
  shrine he has built to Nerull. 
  ADVENTURE HOOKS
  Getting the PCs to Respite should not be a particularly
  difficult task. This adventure can be used as an interest-
  ing diversion for PCs traveling through the region, or it
  can be a very personal adventure for characters who
  have some history with the town and people of Respite.
  Perhaps the characters have made use of the town’s
  healing services before, or perhaps they have friends
  and relatives who have.
  As DM, you know best how to involve your players
  and their characters in an adventure. You can use the
  following adventure hooks to spur your imagination,
  modifying them as necessary to make them appropriate
  for the characters’ interests.
  •
  The PCs meet a refugee from Respite—one of the
  townsfolk fleeing the devastation there. He tells
  them that some evil magic has been turning people
  to stone, so he packed up and left before it could
  happen to him.
  •
  Rumors reach the PCs about a “stone plague” that has
  struck the town of Respite. It appears that people are
  getting sick and slowly turning to stone. Visitors
  used to go there regularly to partake of the town’s
  legendary healing waters, but now no one is willing
  to come within miles of the place.
  •
  The PCs meet one of the messengers sent out by the
  clerics of Obad-Hai. She tells them of the mysterious
  series of petrifications and explains that the clerics
  have been unable to find a cure for the condition.
  She also tells them about a gargoyle that mysteri-
  ously appeared on the roof of the sanatorium the
  morning that she left Respite. 
  •
  The PCs are en route to Respite for reasons of their
  own—perhaps drawn by the legends of healing
  waters or returning for one of their regular visits.
  On the way, they might hear one of the previous
  rumors, or they might simply arrive with no clue as
  to what is going on in the town.
  BEGINNING THE
  ADVENTURE
  The adventure begins as the PCs approach the town of
  Respite. Begin with encounter A. Thereafter, the
  encounters may be used in any order, depending on
  where the PCs decide to go.
  A. APPROACH TO TOWN
  Everything looks normal as the PCs approach Respite,
  except for the utter lack of any activity in or around the
  town. Respite is, to coin a phrase, quiet as the grave.
  Each PC may attempt a Listen check (DC 15) on
  entering Respite to notice that it is not only the
  human population that is quiet. No birds are chirp-
  ing, no squirrels are hopping through the trees—
  nothing is making any sound at all except the wind
  rustling through the leaves. Any character who
  makes a successful Spot check (DC 20) also notices
  statues of animals placed here and there at the
  forest’s edge, all sculpted in various natural posi-
  tions. (These statues are the calcified bodies of the
  local fauna, though the characters have no way to
  determine that as yet.)
  
  4
  
  5
  B. GATE KEEP (EL 14)
  The road to Respite crosses the river via a small bridge
  and is protected by the gate keep—a pair of three-story
  towers that flank the town’s main entrance. Usually the
  gate keep is manned by one or two of the town’s resi-
  dents, who call down to ask visitors their names and
  their business. Today, no one appears to be in the tower.
  As the PCs near the gate keep, read or paraphrase
  the following aloud.
  PCs who have been to Respite before know that
  there have never been any statues on the gate keep
  during their earlier visits—only citizens on guard
  duty.
  Characters who enter the actual towers of the gate
  keep find them deserted. The only item that seems out
  of place is a statue of a young man sitting at a table on
  the second floor of the left-hand tower. Anyone who
  has visited Respite before may attempt an Intelligence
  check (DC 15) to realize that this statue looks just like
  one of the local residents.
  Creatures: On the third floor of the gate keep sit
  four gargoyle sentries, two on each tower. They look
  out to the cardinal points of the compass and use their
  eyes of the eagle (see below) to watch for approaching
  visitors. 
  D Gargoyle Sentries (4): Male and female gar-
  goyle Fighter 6; CR 10; Medium-size magical beast
  (earth); HD 4d10+16 plus 6d10+24; hp 95; Init +2; Spd
  45 ft., fly 75 ft. (average); AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 18;
  Atk +13 melee (1d4+3, 2 claws) and +11 melee (1d6+1,
  bite) and +11 melee (1d6+1, gore), or +15/+10 melee
  (1d8+6/17–20, +2 keen longsword) and +11 melee (1d6+1,
  bite) and +11 melee (1d6+1, gore); SQ damage reduc-
  tion 15/+1, darkvision 60 ft., freeze, low-light vision; AL
  CE; SV Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 18,
  Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 7. 
  Skills and Feats: Climb +5, Hide +9*, Listen +5, Spot
  +10; Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Great
  Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Multiattack, Power
  Attack, Weapon Finesse (claw), Weapon Finesse (bite),
  Weapon Finesse (gore).
  Freeze (Ex): A gargoyle sentry can hold itself so still
  it appears to be a statue. An observer must succeed on a
  Spot check (DC 20) to notice the gargoyle is really alive.
  Skills: *A gargoyle receives a +8 racial bonus on
  Hide checks when concealed against a background of
  worked stone.
  Possessions: +2 keen longsword, belt of giant
  strength +4, ring of protection +4, eyes of the eagle, bead of
  force.
  Tactics: These gargoyles have orders to stand
  motionless and watch visitors’ actions, but not to
  attack except in self-defense or to prevent anyone
  from entering the sanatorium. If the characters
  attack the gargoyles and the fight lasts for more than
  4 rounds, one of the sentries flies off to the sanato-
  rium to alert the sentries there that hostile intruders
  are in town.
  In combat, two of the gargoyle sentries engage the
  PCs in melee combat using their swords, while the
  other two make flyby attacks or attempt to bull rush
  the PCs off the platform.
  C. THE TOWN CENTER
  PCs who stroll about Respite discover one or more of
  the following facts, depending on where they look.
  •
  All over town there are incredibly lifelike statues of
  people. A successful Spot check (DC 15) reveals that
  all these statues are sitting or lying down, and that
  each has an expression of infinite weariness on its
  face rather than the terror or surprise that is common
  for victims of petrification. 
  The scent of mineral water fills the air as you
  approach the gate keep—a pair of stone towers
  that serves as a gate for the town of Respite. Each
  tower is three stories high, and the two are con-
  nected by a walkway across the top. Two mon-
  strous statues perch on each tower, gazing off in
  different directions.
  pqqqqrs
  pqqqqrs
  RESTORING THE RESIDENTS
  Though most creatures that are magically petrified can
  be restored with an appropriate spell, the people of
  Respite are beyond such aid. Their condition was not
  brought about instantaneously through a spell, but
  rather through a gradual loss of Constitution combined
  with slow calcification of the flesh. Thus, though any
  spell that would normally restore a petrified creature to
  normal (such as break enchantment or transmute stone to
  flesh) does convert a stone statue to flesh, the resulting
  creature is dead because its Constitution score is 0.
  
  6
  •
  Some houses also contain statues (generally sitting
  around a table or lying in beds), but others are
  empty. A successful Spot check (DC 15) reveals
  that the empty houses were not abandoned
  suddenly. Rather, the owners evidently packed up
  their belongings and left, planning never to return.
  A second successful Spot check (DC 25) reveals
  that all the animals, meats, leather, and anything
  else made of animal flesh or bone has also been
  turned to stone.
  •
  Eight statues of gargoyles perch on top of the sana-
  torium. Any PC who has visited Respite before
  may attempt an Intelligence check (DC 10) to
  recall that there have never been any gargoyles
  there before. 
  D. GRIST MILL
  The calcified remains of the miller are on the second
  floor of the grist mill. The statue that was his body is
  slumped across the table, its hand still gripping a quill.
  Next to him on the table are an inkwell and two small
  books—the mill’s business log and the miller’s per-
  sonal journal.
  The logbook reveals nothing of significance other
  than that business has been slow recently. The journal,
  however, contains the following information, which
  can be gained simply by reading it.
  •
  The people of Respite have been getting sick
  recently with a mysterious disease. A victim of this
  malady first feels weak or faint, then turns to stone
  within a day.
  •
  At first, the townsfolk suspected that the miller’s
  new grindstone might be cursed, but the clerics
  confirmed that the stone was safe, so the true cause
  must lie elsewhere.
  •
  The miller’s theory was that the hot spring had been
  corrupted and its water poisoned.
  E. OTHER BUILDINGS
  The map of Respite shows only the town center. Addi-
  tional cabins and farms dot the countryside to the north
  and west of the sanatorium. Characters who examine
  those buildings find that some contain calcified remains,
  but others are empty. Occasionally a petrified body can
  be found sitting on a bench or leaning against a tree.
  
  7
  As in the buildings at the center of town, the stone
  figures in these houses all look exhausted and weak.
  They are either sitting in chairs or lying on beds, but
  none of them seem to have been caught in the middle
  of any activity. None of their personal belongings
  appear to have been disturbed at all. (This is an isolated
  and relatively poor community, but you as DM may
  seed some of the houses with appropriate treasure or
  magic items if desired.) 
  A PC entering any house containing a statue may
  attempt a Spot check (DC 25) to notice that the people
  are not the only things calcified. Animals, meats,
  leather, and anything else made of animal flesh or bone
  has also been turned to stone.
  The empty houses have been abandoned, and the
  former residents evidently took all their belongings
  with them. The PCs can find little of interest or value
  in such homes, but they can use them as bases of opera-
  tion if they wish.
  
  8
  
  9
  F. CEMETERY
  Read or paraphrase the following aloud when the char-
  acters approach the town cemetery.
  Continue with the following if the characters enter the
  cemetery and examine the crypts.
  None of the dates of death on the sarcophagi are espe-
  cially recent.
  This above-ground style of interment is a local neces-
  sity. The groundwater level fluctuates with the pressure
  in the hot spring. When the pressure and water level are
  high, large items (such as caskets) are expelled from the
  ground, sometimes in great eruptions. To avoid the
  trauma of having their dearly departed periodically
  vomited forth from the ground, the residents of Respite
  long ago developed the practice of placing their dead in
  above-ground stone coffins.
  Opening a Sarcophagus
  Opening any sarcophagus requires a successful Strength
  check (DC 20). Inside, the remains are calcified, just like
  everything else that was ever alive in Respite.
  G. SANATORIUM
  The sanatorium was the heart of the town of Respite.
  The clerics who managed the facility freely offered
  healing and restorative treatments to anyone who was
  in need, although donations to aid in their good works
  were always encouraged.
  G1. Courtyard (EL 16)
  Like the gargoyles on the gate keep, these are creatures
  rather than statues. Krekulphyr has ordered them to
  guard the sanatorium. They are to sit motionless and
  watch visitors’ actions, but not attack except in self-
  defense or to prevent anyone from entering the sanato-
  rium. If they do get into a fight, they are to kill the
  interlopers and throw their bodies into the river. Fur-
  thermore, they are instructed not to interfere with any
  goings-on at the gate keep.
  D Gargoyle Sentries (4): Male and female gar-
  goyle Fighter 6; CR 10; Medium-size magical beast
  (earth); HD 4d10+16 plus 6d10+24; hp 95; Init +2; Spd
  45 ft., fly 75 ft. (average); AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 18;
  Atk +13 melee (1d4+3, 2 claws) and +11 melee (1d6+1,
  bite) and +11 melee (1d6+1, gore), or +16/+11 melee
  (1d8+7/19–20, +3 longsword) and +11 melee (1d6+1,
  bite) and +11 melee (1d6+1, gore); SQ damage reduc-
  tion 15/+1, darkvision 60 ft., freeze, low-light vision; AL
  CE; SV Fort +13, Ref +8, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 18,
  Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 7. 
  Skills and Feats: Climb +5, Hide +9*, Listen +5, Spot
  +10; Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Great
  Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Multiattack, Power
  Attack, Weapon Finesse (claw), Weapon Finesse (bite),
  Weapon Finesse (gore).
  Freeze (Ex): A gargoyle sentry can hold itself so
  still it appears to be a statue. An observer must succeed
  on a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the gargoyle is
  really alive.
  Skills: *A gargoyle receives a +8 racial bonus on
  Hide checks when concealed against a background of
  worked stone.
  Possessions: +3 longsword, belt of giant strength +4,
  ring of protection +4, eyes of the eagle, bead of force.
  D Gargoyle Sentries (4): Male and female gar-
  goyle Rogue 6; CR 10; Medium-size magical beast
  (earth); HD 4d10+16 plus 6d6+24; hp 83; Init +4; Spd 45
  ft., fly 75 ft. (average); AC 22, touch 18, flat-footed 22;
  Atk +12 melee (1d4+1, 2 claws) and +10 melee (1d6,
  bite) and +10 melee (1d6, gore), or +11/+6 melee
  (1d6+3/19–20, +2 ghost touch short sword) and +10 melee
  (1d6, bite) and +10 melee (1d6, gore); SA sneak attack
  +3d6; SQ damage reduction 15/+1, darkvision 60 ft.,
  The roof has six gables along the front face of
  the building, plus one more on each side. Atop
  each gable sits the statue of a monstrous gargoyle,
  casting its stony gaze over the courtyard below.
  The building before you is two stories tall,
  with a facade of carved marble. A semicircle of
  stairs leads up to the front door, which is
  framed by tall columns decorated with carv-
  ings of ivy vines, birds, squirrels, and other
  natural creatures.
  The sarcophagi and mausoleums are covered with
  carvings of leaves, trees, and other icons of nature,
  and each is engraved with a name, a date of birth,
  a date of death, and a short epitaph. Both mau-
  soleums purport to contain the remains of clerics
  of Obad-Hai. The sarcophagi seem to be the rest-
  ing places of ordinary citizens.
  Beyond a low stone wall lies a small cemetery.
  About two dozen stone sarcophagi rest on top of the
  ground in orderly rows, and two stone mausoleums
  complete the tranquil scene. There is no indication
  that anyone has been buried underground.
  
  10
  evasion, freeze, low-light vision, traps, uncanny dodge
  (Dex bonus to AC, can’t be flanked); AL CE; SV Fort
  +10, Ref +13, Will +3; Str 12, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 6, Wis
  11, Cha 7. 
  Skills and Feats: Hide +17*, Listen +13, Move Silently
  +16, Spot +13; Combat Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Multiat-
  tack, Weapon Finesse (claw), Weapon Finesse (bite),
  Weapon Finesse (gore).
  Evasion (Ex): If exposed to any effect that nor-
  mally allows a character to attempt a Reflex saving
  throw for half damage, a gargoyle sentry takes no
  damage with a successful saving throw.
  Freeze (Ex): A gargoyle sentry can hold itself so
  still it appears to be a statue. An observer must succeed
  on a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the gargoyle is
  really alive.
  Skills: *A gargoyle receives a +8 racial bonus on
  Hide checks when concealed against a background of
  worked stone.
  Possessions: +2 ghost touch longsword, belt of Dex-
  terity +4, ring of protection +4, dust of disappearance, bead of
  force.
  Tactics: When attacking, the gargoyles work as a
  well-trained team. The fighters fly down and engage
  the PCs in melee combat, while the rogues sprinkle
  themselves with dust of disappearance and take to the air.
  The invisible gargoyles make flyby attacks against their
  foes, hopefully gaining sneak attack bonuses as they do
  so. The gargoyles try to grapple any PCs who attempt to
  run into the sanatorium.
  The gargoyles fear Krekulphyr more than they do
  death, so they fight to the bitter end.
  G2. First Floor
  The first floor of the sanatorium is where the clerics
  of Obad-Hai met and entertained their visitors, and
  where the head of the facility performed the mun-
  dane business of keeping the place running. The
  rooms (in any arrangement you prefer) are: dining
  room, meeting room, kitchen, storeroom, and the
  head cleric’s office. 
  The gargoyles have left the dining room and meet-
  ing room completely untouched, but they have ran-
  sacked the kitchen and storeroom for every scrap of
  food available. As with everywhere else in town, all the
  meat and other animal products in the sanatorium have
  been calcified.
  The petrified head cleric still sits behind his desk,
  slumped over in an exhausted posture. On the desk in
  front of him is his diary, still open to the final entry.
  The writing is wobbly, as though the man wrote it with
  his last ounce of life. Any character who reads the diary
  gains the following information (no check required).
  •
  The clerics tried to cast restorative spells on the
  townsfolk, but they didn’t work. At best, such an
  application of magic restored a statue to its fleshy
  state, but the person was dead.
  •
  At first the head cleric suspected that this effect was
  a disease of some sort, but he had a vision that the
  death god Nerull was somehow involved after a
  gargoyle arrived and perched on the sanatorium.
  G3. Second Floor
  The second floor of the sanatorium is where the clerics
  treated visitors who needed healing. Several of the
  rooms have padded tables that can be used to adminis-
  ter massage, acupressure, or herbal treatments, or even
  simply to sleep. Other rooms contain cages that were
  used to confine animals brought in to receive healing. 
  Most rooms have drains set in the floors because the
  clerics employed mineral water from the hot spring in
  a great many of their ministrations. The drains lead to
  outlets at the rear of the sanatorium. The rooms on the
  north end of the building were used as baths. Any cus-
  tomer desiring a nice, long soak could order a tub to be
  brought in and filled with mineral water from the hot
  spring.
  G4. Basement
  The sanatorium’s basement consists mostly of cold stor-
  age spaces—chambers in which the clerics kept sup-
  plies of dried meats, preserved fruits, linens, blankets,
  and other goods. There is nothing of special interest
  here, but any mundane items that the PCs need are
  likely to be available.
  A door in the western wall of the basement leads
  into a natural cavern that the clerics referred to as the
  catacombs.
  G5. Catacombs (EL 18)
  The placement of the sanatorium next to a sizeable nat-
  ural cave was a happy accident. Rather than just walling
  over the connection between the cave and the base-
  ment, the clerics decided to retain it and use the cavern
  for additional storage when needed. The cave also pro-
  vided an ideal way to track the rise and fall of the water
  level in the spring: When the catacomb floor was
  damp, the water level was especially high.
  Once a few racks of wine and barrels of ale were
  stored here, but the gargoyles drank what they wanted
  and smashed the rest. Now the catacombs serve as
  
  11
  
  12
  Krekulphyr’s personal sanctum. He has built a shrine
  to Nerull here and spends many hours a day praying to
  his dark god and admiring their joint creation—the
  deathstone.
  How the room appears when the PCs arrive
  depends entirely on their actions up to this point. If
  any fighting took place in the courtyard, Krekulphyr
  did not hear it, since outside sounds do not carry into
  the catacombs. But he is entitled to a Listen check (DC
  25) to notice the sounds of fighting inside the sanato-
  rium. If the PCs make any great amount of noise while
  in the basement, Krekulphyr may attempt another
  Listen check (DC 20) to hear it.
  If he succeeds on either of the above checks,
  Krekulphyr orders the deathstone to stand 10 feet
  from the door and attack anyone who steps through it
  into the room. Meanwhile, he casts bull’s strength on
  himself, draws his mace, and hides against the cave
  wall, preparing to strike down anyone who gets past
  his construct.
  If the PCs manage to enter the catacombs without
  alerting Krekulphyr, they catch the evil cleric
  unawares. Read aloud or paraphrase the following in
  that case.
  Creatures: Krekulphyr kneels in front of the shrine,
  offering a prayer of thanks to Nerull for his assistance in
  creating the deathstone. The gargoyle cleric pledges to
  use the creature to further his dark god’s aims. The
  gigantic skeleton figure is the deathstone itself—an
  unholy melding of a stone golem and a hapless grave-
  crawler. 
  D Krekulphyr: Male gargoyle Cleric 10 of
  Nerull; CR 14; Medium-size magical beast (earth); HD
  4d10+16 plus 10d8+40; hp 123; Init +2; Spd 45 ft., fly 75
  ft. (average); AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16; Atk +13
  melee (1d4+2, 2 claws) and +11 melee (1d6+1, bite) and
  +11 melee (1d6+1, gore), or +17/+12/+7 melee (1d8+7,
  +4 unholy heavy mace) and +11 melee (1d6+1, bite) and
  +11 melee (1d6+1, gore); SA rebuke undead 3/day; SQ
  damage reduction 15/+1, darkvision 60 ft., freeze, 
  low-light vision; AL CE; SV Fort +21, Ref +9, Will +11;
  Str 15, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 6, Wis 16, Cha 10. 
  Skills and Feats: Concentration +14, Hide +9*, Listen
  +7, Spot +7; Cleave, Combat Casting, Multiattack,
  Power Attack, Weapon Finesse (claw), Weapon Finesse
  (bite), Weapon Finesse (gore).
  Freeze (Ex): Krekulphyr can hold himself so still
  he appears to be a statue. An observer must succeed on
  a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that he is really alive.
  Skills: *Krekulphyr receives a +8 racial bonus on
  Hide checks when concealed against a background of
  worked stone.
  Cleric Spells Prepared (6/6/6/5/4/3; save DC
  13 + spell level): 0—cure minor wounds, guidance, light,
  mending, resistance, virtue; 1st—bane, cause fear*, divine
  favor, doom, entropic shield, obscuring mist; 2nd—bull’s
  strength, death knell*, hold person (2), resist elements, sound
  burst; 3rd—blindness/deafness, magic circle against good*,
  prayer, searing light (2); 4th—death ward*, dismissal, divine
  power, spell immunity; 5th—circle of doom, slay living*,
  unhallow. 
  *Domain spell. Deity: Nerull. Domains: Death
  (death touch 1/day), Evil (cast evil spells at +1 caster
  level).
  Possessions: +4 unholy heavy mace, belt of giant
  strength +4, periapt of wisdom +4, cloak of Charisma +2, brac-
  ers of armor +2, pearl of power (3rd level), Nivean talisman
  +6 (see below), divine scroll of dispel magic, flame strike,
  and transmute mud to rock.
  Deathstone: CR 16; Large construct; HD 14d10;
  hp 77; Init –1; Spd 20 ft. (can’t run); AC 26, touch 8, flat-
  footed 26; Atk +18 melee (2d10+9, 2 slams); SA calcify-
  ing aura, slow; SQ construct traits, darkvision 60 ft.,
  magic immunity, SR 30, tremorsense, turn resistance 6;
  AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4; Str 29, Dex 9, Con –,
  Int –, Wis 11, Cha 1. 
  Skills and Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight. 
  Calcifying Aura (Su): The presence of a death-
  stone is enough to cause flesh (living or dead) to
  harden and calcify, turning slowly into stone. This
  effect is a 30-foot-radius emanation centered on the
  deathstone, and it is always active. Every creature
  within the area must make a Fortitude save (DC 22)
  each round or take 1d2 points of Constitution damage.
  Lost Constitution is restored at a rate of 1 point per day.
  A character brought to a Constitution score of 0 in the
  manner turns completely to stone and is dead. The
  deathstone is immune to its own calcifying aura and to
  those of other deathstones and gravecrawlers.
  Slow (Su): A deathstone can produce an effect
  identical to that of the slow spell as a free action once
  Within this natural cavern, a small brazier sheds a
  dim, flickering light. Though poor, the illumina-
  tion is sufficient to reveal two figures. A burly
  humanoid wearing a hooded cloak kneels before a
  small shrine, chanting softly in a deep, gravelly
  voice. The other figure resembles a 9-foot-tall,
  humanoid skeleton that is either made of stone or
  completely covered in it. The stone skeleton
  stands completely motionless and may even be a
  statue—it is difficult to tell for sure in this light.
  
  13
  every 2 rounds. The effect has a range of 10 feet and a
  duration of 7 rounds. A target must make a successful
  Will save (DC 13) to negate the effect. This ability
  otherwise functions the same as the spell.
  Construct Traits: A deathstone is immune to
  mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phan-
  tasms, patterns, and morale effects), and to poison, sleep,
  paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic
  effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save
  unless it also works on objects or is harmless. A death-
  stone cannot heal damage and it is not subject to criti-
  cal hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain,
  or energy drain. It is not at risk of death from massive
  damage but is destroyed when reduced to 0 or fewer hit
  points. It cannot be raised or resurrected.
  Magic Immunity (Ex): A deathstone is immune
  to all spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural effects,
  except as follows. A transmute rock to mud spell slows it
  (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw,
  while transmute mud to rock heals all of its lost hit
  points. A stone to flesh spell does not actually change the
  deathstone’s structure, but it makes the creature vul-
  nerable to any normal attack for the following round.
  (This vulnerability does not include spells, except those
  that cause damage.)
  Tremorsense (Ex): A deathstone can automati-
  cally sense the location of any creature or object within
  60 feet that is in contact with the ground.
  Tactics: The deathstone stands guard silently,
  though its calcifying aura can affect any creatures that
  move within range. Should any of the PCs move into
  one of its threatened squares, it attacks immediately.
  The noise of battle alerts Krekulphyr, who immediately
  joins the battle.
  Drunk with the power of Nerull, Krekulphyr tosses
  spells around with abandon. With the deathstone at his
  side, he believes he is invincible. Only if the battle
  starts to turn against him does he begin to apply any
  strategy.
  If the deathstone is reduced to 0 hp, its golem por-
  tion collapses into a heap of rubble, releasing the
  gravecrawler. The undead creature is helpless for 1
  round after its release, but thereafter it can take any
  actions it deems appropriate. Although the grave-
  crawler has no interest in fighting the PCs, it readily
  defends itself if attacked. Once it has taken one-half of
  its total hit points in damage, it flees into the ground
  and disappears.
  D Male Gravecrawler (if freed): CR 16; Small
  undead (earth); HD 25d12; hp 162; Init +2; Spd 20 ft.,
  burrow 20 ft.; AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 15; Atk +13
  melee (1d4/19–20 plus 1d4 Con drain, bite); SA calcify-
  ing aura, Constitution drain 1d4; SQ burrow, dark-
  vision 60 ft., speak with dead, spell resistance 30,
  tremorsense, turn resistance +6, undead traits; AL N;
  SV Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +16; Str 10, Dex 15, Con –, 
  Int 16, Wis 11, Cha 11. 
  Skills and Feats: Balance +4, Bluff +5, Diplomacy +12,
  Escape Artist +10, Hide +21, Intimidate +2, Jump +2,
  Knowledge (history) +20, Knowledge (local) +20,
  Knowledge (undead) +20, Listen +7, Sense Motive +5,
  Spot +2, Tumble +7; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat
  Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Critical (bite), Iron Will,
  Mobility, Skill Focus (Knowledge [history]), Skill Focus
  (Knowledge [local]), Skill Focus (Knowledge [undead]).
  Calcifying Aura (Su): The presence of a grave-
  crawler is enough to cause flesh (living or dead) to
  harden and calcify, turning slowly into stone. This
  effect is a 30-foot-radius emanation centered on the
  gravecrawler, and it is always active. Every creature
  within the area must make a Fortitude save (DC 22)
  each round or take 1d2 points of Constitution damage.
  Lost Constitution is restored at a rate of 1 point per day.
  A character brought to a Constitution score of 0 in the
  manner turns completely to stone and is dead. The
  gravecrawler is immune to its own calcifying aura and
  to those of other gravecrawlers and deathstones.
  Constitution Drain (Su): Any creature bitten
  by a gravecrawler must make a Fortitude save (DC 22)
  or permanently lose 1d4 points of Constitution (or
  twice that amount on a critical hit). The gravecrawler
  heals 5 points of damage (or 10 on a critical hit) when-
  ever it drains Constitution, gaining any excess as tem-
  porary hit points. A creature affected by this Constitu-
  tion drain finds parts of its flesh turned to hard, brittle
  stone. At 0 Constitution, the target becomes a stone
  statue. A gravecrawler is immune to its own Constitu-
  tion drain and to those of others of its kind.
  Burrow (Ex): Gravecrawlers can move through
  stone, dirt, and earth, leaving no indication of their pas-
  sage. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a bur-
  rowing gravecrawler flings the creature back 30 feet
  and stuns it for 1 round, unless it succeeds on a Forti-
  tude save (DC 22).
  Speak with Dead (Su): At will, a gravecrawler
  can produce an effect like that of a speak with dead spell
  (caster level 20th), except that it can be used to commu-
  nicate with only one corpse per week. This ability does
  not allow communication with calcified remains.
  Tremorsense (Ex): A gravecrawler can automati-
  cally sense the location of anything within 60 feet that
  is in contact with the ground.
  
  14
  Turn Resistance (Ex): A gravecrawler is treated
  as an undead with 31 Hit Dice for the purpose of turn,
  rebuke, command, and bolster attempts.
  Undead Traits: A gravecrawler is immune to
  mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning,
  disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any
  effect requiring a Fortitude save unless it also works on
  objects or is harmless. It is not subject to critical hits,
  subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy
  drain, or death from massive damage. A gravecrawler
  cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is
  willing.
  Development: The gravecrawler is an intelligent
  monster, and it is more than happy to talk with the PCs
  if given the chance. It retains the memory of every-
  thing that happened while it was part of the symbiotic
  construct and before. If engaged in conversation, the
  gravecrawler explains that it came to Respite through a
  twist of fate and bore no ill will toward the inhabitants.
  In fact, it would have liked to become a part of their
  community. (Gravecrawlers are sometimes known as
  ancestor worms and held in high esteem by intelligent
  creatures in search of knowledge; see Gravecrawler in
  Monster Manual II for details.) But when Krekulphyr
  came to town, he commanded the gravecrawler to do
  terrible things against its will. The creature wishes it
  could make up for all the death and sorrow it has
  caused, but that is obviously impossible.
  The gravecrawler has had enough of the town of
  Respite. If it survives its encounter with the PCs, it bids
  them farewell and uses its burrow ability to pass
  straight into the ground, leaving the area forever.
  CONTINUING THE 
  ADVENTURE
  Even after the PCs have defeated Krekulphyr and his
  minions, the town of Respite remains ruined. All the
  townsfolk have either died or fled to new homes, and
  the once-popular resort seems doomed to become a
  ghost town.
  Still, there is nothing actually wrong with the town
  now that the gravecrawler and the gargoyles are gone,
  and the hot spring is still an appealing local phenome-
  non. If the PCs can convince new commoners to move
  into town, Respite would very quickly return to its
  former state. Alternatively, PCs with the requisite spell-
  casting power could raise several of the key figures in
  town (the head cleric of Obad-Hai and the miller, for
  example) and let them go about the business of getting
  Respite back to normal. In circumstances such as these,
  the town would make an interesting base of operations
  for the heroes, who would be treated like kings from
  that day on.
  NEW MONSTER:
  DEATHSTONE
  Large Construct
  Hit Dice: 14d10 (77 hp)
  Initiative: –1
  Speed: 20 ft.(can’t run)
  AC: 26 (–1 size, –1 Dex, +18 natural), touch 8, 
  flat-footed 26
  Attacks: 2 slams +18 melee
  Damage: Slam 2d10+9
  Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./10 ft.
  Special Attacks: Calcifying aura, slow
  Special Qualities: Construct traits, damage reduc-
  tion 30/+2, magic immunity, tremorsense
  Saves: Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4
  Abilities: Str 29, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
  Feats: AlertnessB, Blind-FightB
  Climate/Terrain: Any land
  Organization: Solitary
  Challenge Rating: 16
  Treasure: None
  Alignment: Always neutral
  Advancement: 15–21 (Large); 22–42 (Huge)
  A deathstone results from the magical melding of a
  stone golem and a gravecrawler. It can be created only
  by a cleric of Nerull and only with the dark god’s
  direct aid.
  Although the deathstone exists as a single creature,
  the gravecrawler is whole and captive within its form.
  In most respects, the construct functions exactly the
  same as a stone golem, but it also has access to some of
  the gravecrawler’s more dangerous abilities (namely its
  calcifying aura and tremorsense). 
  COMBAT
  A deathstone fights by slamming opponents with its
  massive fists, just like a stone golem does. It attacks the
  creatures its master orders it to fight. In the absence of
  orders, it merely defends itself.
  Calcifying Aura (Su): The presence of a death-
  stone is enough to cause flesh (living or dead) to
  harden and calcify, turning slowly into stone. This
  effect is a 30-foot-radius emanation centered on the
  deathstone, and it is always active. Every creature
  
  15
  within the area must make a Fortitude save (DC 22)
  each round or take 1d2 points of Constitution damage.
  Lost Constitution is restored at a rate of 1 point per day.
  A character brought to a Constitution score of 0 in the
  manner turns completely to stone and is dead. The
  deathstone is immune to its own calcifying aura and to
  those of other deathstones and gravecrawlers.
  Slow (Su): A deathstone can produce an effect
  identical to that of the slow spell as a free action once
  every 2 rounds. The effect has a range of 10 feet and a
  duration of 7 rounds. A target must make a successful
  Will save (DC 13) to negate the effect. This ability
  otherwise functions the same as the spell.
  Construct Traits: A deathstone is immune to
  mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phan-
  tasms, patterns, and morale effects), and to poison,
  sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necro-
  mantic effects, and any effect that requires a Forti-
  tude save unless it also works on objects or is harm-
  less. A deathstone cannot heal damage and it is not
  subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability
  damage, ability drain, or energy drain. It is not at risk
  of death from massive damage but is destroyed when
  reduced to 0 or fewer hit points. It cannot be raised or
  resurrected.
  Magic Immunity (Ex): A deathstone is immune
  to all spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural effects,
  except as follows. A transmute rock to mud spell slows it
  (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw,
  while transmute mud to rock heals all of its lost hit points.
  A stone to flesh spell does not actually change the death-
  stone’s structure, but it makes the creature vulnerable to
  any normal attack for the following round. (This
  vulnerability does not include spells, except those that
  cause damage.)
  Tremorsense (Ex): A deathstone can automati-
  cally sense the location of any creature or object within
  60 feet that is in contact with the ground.
  NEW MAGIC ITEM
  The Nivean talisman was developed to protect creatures
  against effects such as petrification and calcification.
  NIVEAN TALISMAN
  This item appears to be a small hunk of granite
  wrapped in a lattice of human hair. Its wearer gains a +6
  luck bonus on all Fortitude saves made to resist petrifi-
  cation or calcification.
  Caster Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item,
  aid; Market Price: 9,000; Weight: —.
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  Stan! has been publishing fiction, cartoons, and games
  professionally since 1982. He has served as a graphic
  designer and line editor for West End Games, an editor
  and designer for TSR, Inc., and an author, senior
  designer, and creative director for Wizards of the Coast,
  Inc. Currently, Stan! is the Creative Vice President of The
  Game Mechanics, Inc. <www.thegamemechanics.com>.
  His recent projects include Urban Arcana from Wizards of
  the Coast and the Modern Player’s Companion from The
  Game Mechanics.
  Stan! lives in Renton, WA, where he eats nothing
  but meat and cheese. Visit him online at
  <www.stannex.com>.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/D&D 3rd Edition/3.0 Adventures/Stone Dead.pdf