TEXT: 1
  TOMB OF HORRORS
  An Adventure for Four to Six
  9th-Level Characters
  CREDITS
  Original Design:
  Gary Gygax
  v.3.5 Update:
  Bruce R. Cordell
  v.3.5 Editing:
  Miranda Horner
  Cover Art:
  David C. Su t herland III (orig-
  inal) and Jeff Dee (re p r i nt )
  Interior Art:
  David C. Su t herland III and
  David A. Trampier
  Typesetting:
  Nancy Walker
  Cartography:
  Mike Schley
  Design Manager:
  Christopher Perkins
  Web Production:
  Bart Carroll
  Web Development:
  Mark A. Jindra
  Graphic Design:
  Sean Glenn, Cynthia Fliege
  & Jen Page
  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 
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  without the express written permission of 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  ©2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
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  INTRODUCTION
  In the far reaches of the world, under a lost and lonely
  hill, lies the sinister Tomb of Horrors. Terrible traps,
  strange and ferocious monsters, rich and magical treas-
  ures, and an evil demilich fill this labyrinthine crypt.
  The original version of this module was first used for
  the official ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® tourna-
  ment at Origins I in 1974. Next it was published as
  Dungeon Module S1 in 1981 using the 1st edition rules.
  The module was later expanded in Return to the Tomb of
  Horrors in 1998 using the 2nd edition rules. However,
  the original tomb was never actually updated—it was
  reprinted as it originally saw print. Now, twenty-one
  years after its first appearance, the original module is
  finally being updated to the latest incarnation of the
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules (3.5).
  PREPARATION
  This update requires the use of the Player’s Handbook, the
  Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. This
  update also utilizes information found in Libris Mortis:
  Book of Undead. If the Dungeon Master does not have a
  copy of Libris Mortis, the adventure may still be run by
  omitting items and creatures drawn from that resource.
  This update of the Tomb of Horrors is written for four
  to six adventurers of around 9th level. Careful readers
  will note several new elements sprinkled into this
  t e x t —t hese minor additions are drawn from Li b r i s
  Mortis: Book of Undead and serve to complement the
  tomb with a dash of contemporary flavor. However,
  those without access to Libris Mortis or those who would
  prefer to utilize the tomb in its original (if updated)
  format will be happy to note that these new elements
  are presented in such a way that they can be used or
  ignored, as the DM desires, with little impact on the
  adventure. 
  To get started, print out the adventure, including the
  map. Read through the scenario at least once to famil-
  iarize yourself with the situation, threats, and major
  nonplayer characters (particularly their motivations).
  Some text is designated as player information that you
  can read aloud or paraphrase for the players at the
  proper times.
  ADVENTURE
  BACKGROUND
  The legend of the tomb is an old story with many parts,
  some of which may be lost or obscured. Characters
  attempting to glean special information by consulting
  sages or through legend lore spells may still have
  difficulty obtaining as much background as they desire,
  
  2
  for the scraps of information are often minimal and
  mystical.
  These bits of information are available as clues, and
  characters can make of them what they wish: Ancient
  Burial Places; Ancient Tombs; Sorcerous Kings; Chal-
  lenges, Surpassing (Certain Death); Soul Eaters; Trea-
  sure, Great . . .
  The other parts of the legend can be furnished by the
  Dungeon Master from the description that follows.
  THE LEGEND OF THE TOMB OF
  HORRORS
  Somewhere under a lost and lonely hill of grim and
  foreboding aspect lies a labyrinthine crypt filled with
  terrible traps and not a few strong and fero c i o u s
  monsters to slay the unwary. Rich tre a s u res both
  precious and magical fill the crypt, but in addition to
  the aforementioned guardians, some say a demilich still
  wards his final haunt. (Be warned that tales told have it
  that this being possesses powers that make him nearly
  undefeatable!) Accounts relate that adventurers have an
  extremely low probability of ever finding the chamber
  where the demilich Acererak lingers, for the passages
  and rooms of the tomb are fraught with terrible traps,
  poison gases, and magical protections. Furthermore, the
  demilich has hidden his lair so well, that even those
  who avoid the pitfalls likely will not locate their true
  goal. So only large and well-prepared parties of the
  bravest and strongest should even consider the attempt,
  and if they do locate the tomb, they must be prepared to
  fail. Any expedition must be composed of characters of
  high level and varied class. They must have magical
  protections and weapons, and they should equip them-
  selves with every sort of device possible to ensure their
  survival.
  POSSIBLE LOCALE OF THE TOMB
  1) In the Bright Desert
  2) Somewhere in the Vast Swamp south of Sundi
  3) In the Vast Swamp of Cormyr
  4) On a small islet, one of many of the Nethlanther Isles
  5) In the Crawling Swamp in the Shadow Marches
  6) Submerged in the Basura Swamp of Q’Barra
  WHAT ABOUT RETURN TO THE TOMB
  OF HORRORS?
  It is an utterly viable option to use this update with the
  information provided in the R e t u rn to the Tomb of
  Horrors. In that adventure, the passage of time saw the
  lonely hill become the foci interest for the necromanti-
  cally inclined. Those drawn to the area had less interest
  in exploring the depths of the tomb. Instead, the legend
  of Acererak himself drew them, and by all accounts
  Acererak was a being of surpassing power, holding
  secrets over Death itself. As time wore on, a community
  of the like-minded grew up around the mound of the
  tomb. This was neither a city of pure-hearted seekers of
  k n owledge nor a collection of mere tomb ro b b e r s.
  Instead, those who gathered in this new city of grim
  aspect sought to understand the forbidden arts of
  unlife. They were, in fact, almost all practitioners of the
  foul dark arts: necromancy. Thus was Skull City born.
  The inhabitants of Skull City were obsessed with the
  power that the dark arts can bring them. Following this
  p h i l o s o p h y, their re ve rence for Ac e rerak and his
  a c h i e ve m e nts developed into a nearly the o l o g i c a l
  worship of the powerful lich in his aspect as “The
  Devourer.” They have built a massive academy into the
  no-longer lonely hill over Acererak’s tomb and engage
  in weekly ceremonies to garner the attention and favor
  of the demilich below. However, for all their evil rituals
  and dark knowledge, and in spite of their professions of
  communion with the spirit of the demilich, not a single
  resident of Skull City possesses a glimmer of the truth.
  Acererak’s true guise, the location of his final strong-
  hold, and his ultimate sinister goal remain utterly
  unknown—a black mystery to all.
  As in Return to the Tomb of Horrors, the original tomb
  remains sacrosanct—those who built up Skull City and
  the Academy around it revere the tomb.Thus, the infor-
  mation in this update can be used as is, whether or not
  the DM has access to Return to the Tomb of Horrors or
  prefers not to use it (especially since that product is not
  updated to 3rd edition rules, but yet lingers in 2nd
  edition status).
  NOTES FOR THE DUNGEON MASTER
  As clever players will gather from a reading of the
  Legend of the Tomb, this dungeon has more tricks and
  traps than it has monsters to fight. THIS IS A THINK-
  ING PERSON’S MODULE, AND IF YOUR GROUP IS
  A HACK-AND-SLAY GATHERING, THEY WILL BE
  UNHAPPY!
  In the latter case, it is better to skip the whole thing
  than come out and tell them that the re are few
  monsters. On the other hand, brainwork is good for
  players, and they will benefit from playing this module,
  for individual levels of skill will be improved by reason-
  ing and experience. If you regularly pose problems
  better solved by brains and not brawn, your players will
  find this module immediately to their liking.
  Negotiation of the tomb will require quite a long
  time, so be prepared to spend several sessions with this
  module. When the game ends for the day, assume the
  expedition is spending the intervening time until play
  again commences resting and re c overing fro m
  
  3
  
  4
  adventuring up to that point. Allowing actual/game
  days on a 1/1 basis gives player characters a chance to
  recover some lost hit points, too. Since no monsters are
  randomly encount e red within the tomb, the part y
  might be allowed to encamp close to the entrance with-
  out fear of random encounters, but if you do so opt, do
  not inform the players of this.
  Please read and review all of the material herein,
  thoroughly familiarizing yourself with it, before begin-
  ning the module. As players enter keyed areas, note
  from the text whether or not the area has one or more
  illustrations for visually highlighting play. Read aloud
  a p p ropriate sections, but never give any additional
  information that player characters would have no way
  of knowing, and avoid facial expressions or voice tones
  that might provide helpful hints or mislead players. The
  real enjoyment of this module is managing to cope, and
  those players who do so even semi-successfully will
  appreciate your refereeing and allowing them to “live or
  die” on their own.
  The starting information for the module depends on
  whether you are using the tomb as an insertion into
  your own campaign, as a section in a published fantasy
  setting (such as GREYHAWK®, FORGOTTEN REALMS®, or the
  EBERRON®settings), or simply as a one-shot exercise for
  your players. Because of the variableness, the informa-
  tion for starting is stated so as to assume the expedition
  has arrived at the site of the Tomb of Horrors. As
  Dungeon Master, you may fill in whatever background
  is needed. If the tomb represents a single arc of a
  campaign, players obtain the Legend information above
  through research, as normal (such as Gather Informa-
  t i o n, Knowledge [history], and Knowledge [local]
  checks made on their behalf, consulting bards and
  sages, casting legend lore spells, or whatever) prior to
  arriving at the actual locale of the tomb. (When this
  module was used at Origins I, Dungeon Masters were
  instructed that the hill had been found in the Vast
  Swamp, and the party had arrived there in barges.)
  KEYED LOCATIONS
  The following entries are keyed to the Tomb of Horrors
  map. Areas and items of note are also keyed to a series of
  illustrations that you, the Dungeon Ma s t e r, should
  show to the players as they adventure. Each illustration
  is numbered to correspond to rooms and locations on
  the map. The text below instructs you when to reveal a
  particular illustration.
  Demonic Host
  PCs are discouraged from bypassing the material walls
  of the world via the Ethereal Plane by a host of demonic
  guardians. PCs become aware of the demonic host only
  if they attempt an ethereal jaunt while within the hill or
  tomb. One or more demons arrive and attack, according
  to the following table (roll randomly) every 1d4 rounds
  that the characters maintain a presence on the Ethereal
  Plane while within the tomb.
  The demons also serve as tomb caretakers—because
  of the allegiance they owe the balor named Tarnhem in
  the Fortress of Conclusion (see Return to the Tomb of
  Horrors ), these demons reset traps, repair damage, and
  otherwise return the tomb to a pristine condition in the
  event of its invasion by tomb robbers.
  d100
  Demon/1d4 Rounds
  CR
  Monster Manual Page #
  01–20
  2 babaus
  8
  40
  21–40 
  2 vrocks
  11
  48
  41–60
  1 hezrou
  11
  44
  61–80
  1 retriever
  11
  46
  81–90
  1 glabrezu
  13
  43
  91–100
  1 nalfeshnee
  14
  45
  INTERIOR FEATURES
  The stonework throughout the dungeon is mostly gran-
  ite unless the description states differently. The floors,
  walls, and ceilings are smooth. Unless otherwise noted,
  the corridor width remains a constant 5 or 10 feet, as
  shown on the map. Height varies where indicated, but
  the ceilings are usually 10 feet high in 5-foot-wide halls
  and 12 feet high in 10-foot-wide halls. The interior
  doors are constructed of metal-bound oak unless the
  description says otherwise.
  Typical Oak and Iron Do o r :2 in. thick; hardness 5;
  hp 20; break DC 28; Open Lock (when appropriate) DC 30.
  Typical Masonry Wall: 1 ft. thick; hardness 8; hp
  90; break DC 35; Climb DC 15.
  Additionally, magical auras are noted where appro-
  priate; DMs should find this helpful should the charac-
  ters use spells to detect such things.
  A map and all of the graphic illustrations listed
  throughout the adventure can be found online at the
  Wizards of the Coast website:
  h t t p : / / w w w. w i z a rd s. c o m / d e f a u l t . a s p ? x = d n d / a g / 2 0 0 5 1 0 3 1 a
  This map has been re p roduced he re for yo u r
  c o n venience. 
  0. In Front of the Hill
  The party has arrived at the site of the demilich’s last
  haunt.
  A low, flat-topped hill, about 200 yards wide and
  300 yards long, protrudes from the earth. Ugly
  weeds, thorns, and briars grow upon the steep
  sides and bald top of the 60-foot-high mound.
  Black rocks crown the hilltop
  
  5
  If a perspective of about 200 feet or more above the hill
  can be achieved, the resemblance of the hill and black
  rocks upon it to a great human skull becomes apparent,
  with the piles of rock appearing as eye holes, nose hole,
  and the jagged teeth of a grinning death’s head. Adven-
  turers at ground level may extrapolate this resemblance
  with a successful DC 21 Intelligence check.
  A casual, closer inspection of the hill reveals the
  following:
  The north side of the hill with the sand and gravel cliff
  is the area 34 squares wide that forms the east-west axis
  of the dungeon map. A complete search of the cliff area
  exposes one or more (of three) blocked tunnel
  entrances (DC 20 Search check per entrance success-
  fully located). Once an entrance is exposed, four char-
  acters can thoroughly clear out a passage in about an
  hour and a half, but a narrow crawl space can be opened
  in just 15 minutes by two characters digging with
  swords and hands.
  1. False Entrance Tunnel (EL 10)
  Once the characters clear or crawl through the sand
  blocking this tunnel, they can see what it contains.
  Show graphic #1.
  Trap: If the roof (composed of badly fitting stones) is
  prodded with any force, or if the doors at the far end of
  the passageway are opened (onto a blank wall), the
  tunnel roof collapses.
  Built-to-Collapse Ceiling: CR 10; mechanical;
  location trigger; no reset; no attack roll required (16d6,
  crush); multiple targets (all targets in a 20-ft.-by-20-ft.
  area); never miss (but DC 23 Reflex for half damage);
  Search DC 24; Disable Device DC 24.
  2. False Entrance Tunnel (EL 8)
  Once the characters clear or crawl through the sand
  blocking this tunnel, they can see what it contains.
  Show graphic #2.
  Traps: The ceiling in this hallway is 10 feet high.
  When characters move to within 10 feet of the doors at
  the end of the hallway, a trigger mechanism in the floor
  rolls a 10-foot-wide, 20-foot-long stone partition across
  the chamber from where it was recessed in the east wall
  (as shown on the map). Characters that react quickly
  enough (those who succeed on a Reflex check) can
  decide whether to escape to freedom or remain trapped
  with slower compatriots.
  Un f o rtunately for those
  who remain behind, the round after the stone partition
  traps characters in the hallway, the ceiling begins to
  lower over the course of 4 rounds. Those who cannot
  free themselves 5 rounds after the stone partition seals
  the corridor are dealt crushing damage. Possible ways to
  gain freedom include phase door attempts, disintegrate
  attempts, a Strength check to push back the partition
  (DC 30), and so on. On the other hand, those who
  succeed on the first trapping room Reflex DC might
  decide to hold the stone partition back through brute
  force (requiring a DC 30 Strength check) or with a
  metal bar (a DC 27 Strength check); on a failed attempt,
  the stone partition is unhindered.
  Trapping Room: CR 6; mechanical; location trig-
  ger; automatic reset (1 day); DC 23 Reflex to react (on
  successful save, a character may rush north down the
  Two separate doors are dimly visible at the end of
  this roughly worked, plain stone corridor.
  The roughly worked, plain stone corridor is full of
  cobwebs. A set of double oaken doors are just
  visible at the end of the passageway. The roof 20
  feet overhead is obscured by hanging strands.
  T he north side of the hill is fro nted by a 20-f o o t -
  high cru mbling cliff of sand and gravel. A low stone
  ledge overhangs this eroded area, and shrubs and
  b u s hes obscure it from observation at a distance.
  
  6
  corridor to escape closing stone partition); multiple
  targets (all targets south of the partition); Search DC 24;
  Disable Device DC 24.
  Compacting Room: CR 6; mechanical; timed
  trigger; automatic reset; hidden switch bypass (Search
  DC 25); ceiling moves down (12d6, crush); multiple
  targets (all targets in a 20-ft.-by-30-ft. area); never miss;
  onset delay (4 rounds); Search DC 20; Disable Device
  DC 22.
  3. Entrance to the Tomb of Horrors (EL Varies)
  Once the characters clear or crawl through the sand
  blocking this tunnel, they can see what it contains.
  Show graphic #3.
  Characters who wish to catalog the many paint e d
  scenes adorning the corridor walls see the following:
  If characters wish to look more closely at the torture
  chamber painting (after navigating a small portion of
  the corridor), refer to entry 3A.
  If characters wish to look more closely at the wizard’s
  work room (again, after navigating a small portion of
  the corridor), refer to entry 4.
  Characters standing at the north end of the corridor
  who succeed on a DC 20 Spot check see that the floor
  mosaic hides barely noticeable runes: a message in
  Common. It says the following:
  ACERERAK CONGRAT U LATES YOU ON YO U R
  P OWERS OF OBSERVAT I O N. SO MAKE OF T H I S
  WHATEVER YOU WISH, FOR YOU WILL BE MINE IN
  THE END NO MATTER WHAT!
  Go back to the tormentor or through the arch,
  and the second great hall you’ll discover.
  Shun green if you can, but night’s good color
  is for those of great valor.
  If shades of red stand for blood the wise
  will not need sacrifice aught but a loop of
  magical metal—you’re well along your march.
  Two pits along the way will be found to lead
  to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall.
  These keys and those are most important of all,
  and beware of trembling hands and what will maul.
  If you find the false you find the true
  and into the columned hall you’ll come,
  and there the throne that’s key and keyed.
  The iron men of visage grim do more than
  meets the viewer’s eye.
  You’ve left and left and found my Tomb
  and now your soul will die.
  Trap: Unfortunately for characters wishing to navi-
  gate the corridor, the passage is filled with concealed
  pits. The pits shown on the map are 10 feet deep and
  concealed by a counterweighted trap door that opens
  when trod upon.
  The images depict fields with cattle grazing, a
  copse with several wolves in the backgro u n d ,
  slaves—human, orc, elven, and strange human-
  animal mixtures of pig-human, ape-human, and
  dog-human—going about various tasks.
  Certain frescoes are more focused and show
  rooms of some building—a library filled with
  many books and scrolls, a torture chamber, and a
  wizard’s work room. Chairs, windows, boxes, bales,
  doors, chests, birds, bats, spiders, and all manner of
  things appear on the walls.
  Brilliant colors are everywhere; pigments painted
  on stone are undimmed by the passage of decades.
  The floor is a colorful mosaic, featuring a distinct,
  winding path of red tiles forming a 2-foot-wide,
  meandering trail south down the corridor. A few
  chips and gaps reveal that cement or plaster covers
  the underlying stonework of the corridor, and it
  mostly provides a smooth surface for the many
  illustrated scenes.
  
  7
  Poisoned Spiked Pit Trap: CR 6; mechanical;
  location trigger; manual reset; DC 20 Reflex save avoids;
  10 ft. deep (1d6, fall); multiple targets (all targets within
  a 10-ft.-by-10-ft. area); pit spikes (Atk +20 melee, 2d4
  spikes per target for 1d4+5 each); poison (DC 24 Forti-
  tude save resists, 1d4 Con/1d6 Con); Search DC 20;
  Disable Device DC 20.
  Trap Note 1:The northernmost trap floor doesn’t open
  when trod upon. It does so only if triggered by a hidden
  lever; see entry 4.
  Trap Note 2: The southernmost pit trip is shown on
  the map to host a small tunnel; however, this one-way
  passage leads only out of area 7, not into it. Thus, those
  who fall into this trap do not see an opening, though
  
  8
  they may detect the edges of a one-way secret door
  (Search DC 25). Barring the destruction of the 1-foot-
  thick stone housing of the wall (possible, though diffi-
  cult) or an DC 30 Open Lock check (or knock spell), this
  passage is useful only for those seeking to escape from
  room 7.
  3A. Torture Chamber Painting
  On the western wall of the entry corridor of the tomb, a
  torture chamber is painted. If players show any interest
  in this section of the painting at all, refer them again to
  graphic #3.
  If the plaster and lath behind the painting of the door is
  broken, a normal, inward opening door is revealed. This
  door opens onto a 20-foot-corridor that connects to
  room 8.
  4. Fresco of Wizardly Workroom (EL 7)
  On the western wall of the entry corridor of the tomb,
  north of the torture chamber, a wizard’s workroom is
  painted. If players show any interest in this section of
  the painting at all, refer them again to graphic #3 and
  show graphic #4.
  Trap: The chest’s bottom opens if a stud on top is
  pressed. The stud has an easily detectable poison needle
  trap (Spot DC 15; poison [DC 21 Fortitude save resists, 1
  Con/1d4 Con]; see Dungeon Master’s Guide page 71 for
  other statistics), and it can be avoided entirely by press-
  ing the stud with a dagger pommel, or some other
  object.
  W hen the box opens, it appears to be empty, but if
  a character actually feels inside the chest, he or she
  can find a rodlike lever that is affixed ve rtically fro m
  t he top of the chest. T he lever moves easily, and if it
  is pulled with any force, a 30-f o o t -deep pit (spiked
  and poisoned) opens in the 10-foot area marked on
  t he map (immediately in fro nt of the work ro o m
  p a i nt i n g ) .
  Poisoned Spiked Pit Trap: CR 7; mechanical;
  location trigger; manual reset; DC 20 Reflex save avoids;
  10 ft. deep (3d6, fall); multiple targets (all targets within
  a 10-ft.-by-10-ft. area); pit spikes (Atk +20 melee, 2d4
  spikes per target for 1d4+5 each); poison (DC 24 Forti-
  tude save resists, 1d4 Con/1d6 Con); Search DC 20;
  Disable Device DC 20.
  Treasure: Lying among the detritus that gathers
  around spikes at the bottom of the trap are several
  bones and a layer of dust. A DC 15 Search check
  through the dust unearths a pair of goggles of day (see
  page 78 of Libris Mortis).
  5. The Arch of Mist
  At the south end of the corridor, the red tile path bifur-
  cates (at 3B on the map). This fork turns east into an
  arch of mist, and the other leads into the gaping maw of
  a great green devil (see entry 6).
  A section of the red tile path leads into a mist-filled
  stone archway.Three large stones are embedded in
  the arch. Each has a different hue—yellow on the
  lower left, bluish at the top of the arch, and orange
  on the lower right.
  Two jackal-headed human figures in this painting
  are portrayed as if holding bronze chest—which is
  real, and protrudes slightly into the corridor! The
  chest is hinged on the bottom so as to allow the lid
  to swing down.
  This portion of the fresco illustrates an iron door
  that evidently confines some sort of a horrid crea-
  ture (its clawed and scaled hands grasp the bars of
  its small window) that can be loosed to torment
  prisoners.
  
  9
  If any character stands within 5 feet of the entranceway,
  the base stones glow yellow on the left, orange on the
  right, and the keystone 7 feet above glows blue. Show
  graphic #5 when this happens.
  The vapors are magical (conjuration; CL 20th) and
  short of dispelling them (which only suppresses them
  for 1d4 rounds), the mists cannot be dispersed.
  However, true seeing or other powerful revelatory magic
  reveals that the passage continues eastward.
  If the archway is entered while it is clouded, those
  characters doing so are instantly teleported to room 7.
  If the glowing stones are pressed in the pro p e r
  s e qu e n c e—Y E L LOW, BLU E, ORANGE—t he vapors disap-
  p e a r, and the eastward-leading corridor beyond is re ve a l e d .
  After pressing the glowing stones in pro p e r
  sequence, those stepping through the arch ON the red
  tile path are teleported to room 11, while those who
  pass through off the path are teleported back to the
  beginning of the entrance corridor (entry 3).
  6. The Face of the Great Green Devil
  At the south end of the corridor, the red tile path forks.
  One section trails into an arch of mist (see entry 5). The
  other leads to the face of the great green devil. Show
  graphic #6.
  The mouth opening is similar to a sphere of annihilation
  (page 279 Dungeon Master’s Guide), but this sphere is
  permanently fixed in place and yawns a little more than
  3 feet in diameter—room enough to accommodate
  those who, pursuing a false hope, leap in where they are
  completely and forever destroyed.
  The whole area radiates evil and magic (necromancy;
  CL 20th) if a detection attempt is made.
  7. The Forsaken Prison (EL 10)
  Characters who walk through the mist in area 5 end up
  here.
  This miserable 10-foot-square iron cubicle appears
  to have absolutely no means of egress. It is bare of
  all but dust except for three iron levers (each about
  1-foot long) on one wall of the chamber.
  A fork of the red tile path leads directly to a leering
  devil face set in the mosaic at the corridor’s end.
  The devil’s mouth gapes wide and empty—in fact
  it is dead black, emitting no hint of light and
  allowing none entry.
  
  1 0
  Discovering the secret trap that covers the floor and the
  smaller door in the ceiling is quite difficult, requiring
  characters to beat a Search DC of 35. If the secret exits
  are discovered, a DC 25 Disable Device check must also
  be overcome. Or, characters could work the levers to
  open the exits.
  T he levers move up or dow n, singly or in comb i n a t i o n .
  Only by throwing all three together upwards or
  downwards are results obtained.
  Moving the three levers straight up opens a small
  trapdoor in the center of the ceiling (10 feet above). The
  ceiling route is a crawlway some 3 feet square.
  Tr a p : Pushing the three levers simultaneously
  down opens the entire floor onto a 100-foot-deep pit
  with no exit, after which the floor automatically returns
  to a closed position, sealing any inside the pit until
  another victim triggers the drop-away again, or until a
  successful DC 25 Disable Device check can be brought
  to bear upon the doors (possibly made more difficult if
  no means are at hand to ascend the sheer sides of the
  100-foot iron shaft . . .)
  Pit Tr a p : CR 8; mechanical; location trigger;
  manual reset; DC 30 Reflex save avoids (character
  catches hold of one of the levers); 100 ft. deep (10d6,
  fall); multiple targets (all targets within a 10-ft.-by-10-ft.
  area); Search DC 35; Disable Device DC 25.
  Creatures:The floor of the pit trap is home to vari-
  ous detritus of past victims, including a colony of vora-
  cious tomb motes, who immediately attack any creature
  that enters their lair. Quarters are tight for full-sized
  characters, but the tomb motes don’t seem to mind . . .
  Tomb Motes (8): hp 13; Libris Mortis page 128.
  Treasure: Hidden in the dust, bones, and rotted
  remnants of past victims of the trap is a copy of the
  Nycoptic Manuscripts (Libris Mortis page 79), which char-
  acters who succeed at a DC 18 Search check can find.
  Crawlway: The 3-foot-square crawlway revealed
  when the three levers are moved straight up is shown
  on the map. The map indicates the crawlway turns east.
  In that area is a plug in the tunnel’s ceiling that is
  detectable only by those capable of seeing invisible
  objects who succeed at a DC 25 Spot check (or those
  who succeed at a DC 25 Search check). If found and
  opened, the plug provides access up into room 13—
  however, most will miss this plug. Eventually the small
  tunnel leads to a one-way door, which opens into the
  southernmost pit in room 3 as shown on the map. Char-
  acters are back to square one . . . Like all one-way doors
  in this dungeon, the door can still be accessed “from the
  wrong side” if closed by a successful DC 30 Open Lock
  check (or knock spell).
  8. Gargoyle Lair (EL 11)
  When any door leading to this room is opened, it frees
  a mutated four-armed gargoyle from temporal stasis.
  Show graphic #8.
  Cre a t u re : T he gargoyle viciously attacks characters,
  pursuing them if possible, until it is defeated or slain. If
  s l a i n, within a ye a r’s time, the demon caretakers of the
  t o mb will have forc e- b red and installed anothe r, accord-
  ing to the instructions set down by Ac e rerak so long ago.
  A grotesque, winged humanoid with a horned
  head and stony hide lunges, its four arms each
  tipped with wicked rocky claws. Around the crea-
  ture’s neck is a collar studded with huge, gleaming
  gems.
  
  1 1
  MUTANT FOUR-ARMED GARGOYLE
  CR 11
  CE Large humanoid (earth)
  Init -1; Senses Listen +12, Spot +12
  AC 21, touch 8, flat-footed 21
  hp 199 (21 HD); DR 10/—
  Fort +17, Ref +5, Will +6
  Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), fly 60 ft. (average)
  Melee 4 claws +24 (2d8+10) and
  bite +22 (2d6+5) and
  gore +22 (2d6+5)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Base Atk +15; Grp +29
  Atk Options rend, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great
  Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder,
  Power Attack
  Special Actions freeze, skills
  A bilities Str 30, Dex 8, Con 21, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10
  Feats Alertness, Awesome Blow, Cleave, Great
  Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder,
  Multiattack, Power Attack
  Skills Listen +12, Spot +12, Hide +9*
  Possessions gem-studded collar
  R end (Ex) If the four-armed mutant gargoyle
  hits with two or more claw attacks, it briefly
  latches onto the opponent’s body and tears
  the flesh. This attack automatically deals an
  extra 2d8+20 points of damage.
  Freeze (Ex) A gargoyle can hold itself so still it
  appears to be a statue. An observer must
  succeed on a DC 20 Spot check to notice the
  gargoyle is really alive.
  Skills Gargoyles have a +2 racial bonus on Hide,
  Listen, and Spot checks. *The Hide bonus
  increases by +8 when a gargoyle is concealed
  against a background of stone.
  Treasure: Around the creature’s neck is a collar
  studded with huge, gleaming gems (blue quartz
  stones of 100 gp value each, ten gems total).
  Hidden in a secret compartment of the collar is a
  slip of parchment with the following written on it in
  magical runes that require a read magic spell to
  understand:
  Look low and high for gold, to hear a tale untold. The arch-
  way at the end, and on your way you’ll wend.
  —A.
  9. Complex of Secret Doors (EL Varies)
  A total of ten small rooms are connected off room 8
  (initially through obvious doors). One of the doors that
  leads from room 8 goes to a dead end via a series of obvi-
  ous doors, while the other door in room 8 eventually
  provides a route to reach room 10 through a series of
  secret doors.
  The following description applies to each chamber:
  Finding each secret door in each area marked on the
  map is re l a t i vely easy with a DC 25 Se a rch che c k .
  Howe ve r, each secret door is marked on the map by a
  letter indicating the unique method whe re by the
  door is opened. Each method differs from that of the
  p revious door.
  The various secret doors open as follows:
  A. Pull down.
  B. Pivots centrally.
  C. Pull inward and up at bottom.
  D. Slides up.
  E. Double panels pull inward.
  F. Slide left.
  G. Seven studs—press all and door opens; 1 and 7
  trigger a swinging door trap (which also opens the
  door).
  Note: C o nt e m p o r a ry D&D® rules don’t normally
  support the minutia involved in how a particular secret
  door is opened; however, the essence of this secret door
  complex requires this level of attention to avoid making
  the navigation of this area nothing more than a mathe-
  matical exercise.
  Traps: To furt her complicate matters, a magic
  a r row trap contained within each room randomly
  targets a character in each room each round. Characters
  may first attempt to disable each of these traps;
  however, unless the magical effect suffusing each is
  dispelled (transmutation; CL 20th), a disabled trap
  reassembles itself in 1d4 rounds.
  Magic Arrow Trap (1 trap per ro o m, 11
  traps in all): CR 6; magical; proximity trigger
  (randomly targets 1 character in each room); automatic
  reset (1 round reset time); Atk +15 ranged (1d8/3,
  arrow); Search DC 25; Disable Device DC 25.
  Swinging Door Trap: CR 1; mechanical; action
  trigger (pushing studs 1 and 7); manual reset; Atk +10
  melee (2d6, stone door); Search DC 26; Disable Device
  DC 26.
  10. Great Hall of Spheres
  Characters can gain entry to this room through area 9 or
  13. Once they enter, show graphic #10 and read them
  the following text:
  This small chamber is empty of scent, stain, or
  decor. Only the dense layer of dust reveals the
  uncounted years since any moved through this
  chamber since the present.
  
  Some of the spheres are merely painted walls as they
  appear. Others are illusory (illusion; CL 20th) and are
  easily bypassed with a touch.
  The figures and their corresponding spheres appear
  as follows on the west wall, from north to south:
  GOLD sphere held above head by a naga. The sphere
  is an illusory veil (see above) covering a crawlway to
  room 11.
  ORANGE sphere held waist high by a mummy. The
  sphere is an illusory veil covering a false door leading to
  a spear trap (see entry 12).
  PURPLE sphere held at feet by a minotaur.
  BRONZE sphere held waist high by a nymph. The
  sphere is an illusory veil covering a false door leading to
  a spear trap (see entry 12).
  GRAY sphere held at shoulder by an owlbear.
  BRIGHT BLUE sphere held at feet by a sahuagin.
  The sphere is an illusory veil covering a crawlway lead-
  ing to room 10B (not shown on map as it’s an optional
  encounter using Libris Mortis). Any character that stands
  next to this sphere (whether she pierces the veil or not)
  is subject to a dominate person attempt (DC 18 Will save).
  See entry 10B for more information.
  WHITE sphere held above head by a red slaad.
  TURQUOISE sphere held at shoulder by a satyr.
  SCARLET sphere held waist high by a mind flayer.
  PALE GREEN sphere held at feet by a medusa.
  The figures and their corresponding spheres appear
  as follows on the east wall, from north to south:
  PALE BLUE sphere held at shoulder by a werewolf.
  S I LVER s p he re held at feet by a four-armed
  gargoyle. The sphere is an illusory veil covering the
  secret one-way door leading to area 9. Like all one-way
  doors in this dungeon, the door can still be accessed
  “from the wrong side” if closed by a successful DC 30
  Open Lock check (or knock spell).
  Note: The following 4 spheres are shown on
  graphic #10.
  GREEN sphere held high above head by a half-orc.
  The floor of this long, wide hall is inlaid with tiles,
  and the walls and ceiling are painted with figures
  of animals and strange signs and glyphs. Humans
  and humanlike creatures hold painted spheres,
  each a different color from the next.
  1 2
  
  1 3
  Y E L LOW s p he re held at shoulder by a falcon-
  headed creature.
  PINK sphere held high above head by a yuan-ti. 
  BLACK sphere held at feet by a hydra. The sphere is
  an illusory veil covering a crawlway leading to area 14.
  PALE V I O L E T s p he re held at shoulder by a kuo-t o a .
  R E D s p he re held waist high by a skeleton. T he sphe re
  is an illusory veil covering a crawlway leading to area 13.
  BU F F s p he re held at feet by a white- b e a rd e d
  human wizard.
  INDIGO sphere held high above head by a bat-
  winged woman.
  10A. Magic Archway
  At the south end of the corridor is an arch of mist.
  If any character stands within 5 feet of the entranceway,
  the base stones glow olive on the left and citron on the
  right, while the keystone 7 feet above glows russet.
  Show graphic #5 when this happens.
  The vapors are magical (conjuration; CL 20th) and
  short of dispelling them (which only suppresses them
  for 1d4 rounds), the mists cannot be dispersed.
  However, true seeing or other powerful revelatory magic
  reveals that beyond the arch is only a blank wall.
  No matter which stones are pressed in what order,
  the archway remains clouded and veiled.
  All living matter that passes beneath the arch is tele-
  ported to area 3, while nonliving matter is teleported
  simultaneously to room 33. In other words, characters
  stepping through appear in the entry tunnel without
  equipment and nude, while everything else appears in
  the crypt of the demilich. (While cruel, it is most enter-
  taining for the DM. . . .)
  10B. Brain in a Jar (EL 4)
  The crawlway opens into a cluttered, forgotten 20-foot
  by 20-foot chamber.
  Note: This is an optional encounter using material from
  Libris Mortis; it is not depicted on the map.
  Creatures: Acererak experimented with other ways
  to find immortality before settling on lichdom—the
  preserved brain in a jar found in this chamber is one of
  those early, forgotten experiments.
  The disembodied brain in a jar found in this cham-
  ber is described on page 90 of Libris Mortis. The brain in
  the jar is quite mad, and it initially attempts to dominate
  the first creature it senses at the mouth of the tunnel
  leading into this chamber. (It can sense through the
  illusory veil without difficulty.) If successful, the brain
  orders its newly dominated slave to make no overt reac-
  tion, but to later attack its fellows as sneakily as possible,
  and bring their remains back to the chamber. Other-
  wise it uses its mind thrust ability on any other creature
  in range that it can sense.
  Brain in a Jar: hp 19; Libris Mortis page 90.
  Treasure: The remains of past victims of the brain
  in a jar are strewn about this chamber. A DC 15 Search
  check brings to light a bag of cut sapphires worth a total
  of 2,000 gp, a scroll of restoration, and a white bodak’s eye
  graft (see page 80 of Libris Mortis) swimming in an oily
  fluid in a crusted glass jar. Unlike the eye described in
  Libris Mortis, this eye has only three uses left in it before
  it fully rots away.
  11. Three-Armed Statue
  The crawlway opens into small chamber that contains a
  sculpture (show graphic #11):
  A DC 18 Spot check reveals the broken-off fourth arm
  of the statue on the floor nearby. The statue emanates
  magic if the PCs use a means of detection (transmuta-
  tion and conjuration; CL 20th).
  No amount of fooling with the broken arm enables
  its reattachment. However, a DC 15 Spot check reveals
  a concavity in the palm of each of the three still-
  attached hands.The concavities are each about 1 inch in
  diameter, but are empty. The broken hand possesses no
  such concavity.
  Development: Experimentation or a DC 20 Intel-
  ligence check suggests that each concavity is the
  perfect size for a large gem (at least 100 gp value). 
  If three large gems of any mineral variety are placed
  within the hands, the stony digits close and crush them
  to powder, dump the grains on the floor, and return to
  their initial positions. If this is repeated twice more, and
  nine gems are so crushed, the tenth triggers the statue
  to speak the following words in harshly accent e d
  Common:
  A bro k e n, 8-f o o t -tall statue of a four-armed
  gargoyle squats here, alone and in the dark. Its
  three remaining hands appear as if in positions of
  supplication, or need.
  Dust covers the remains of a wizard’s store room like
  s n ow. Fallen she l ve s, smashed cro c k e ry, glass shard s
  f rom dozens of smashed potion vials, and corro d e d
  a l c hemical tools litter the floor. Howe ve r, in the
  n o rt h west corner of the ro o m, something gray and
  s h r i veled sloshes within a grimy glass canister.
  A mist-filled stone archway lies at the end of the
  wide hall of colored spheres.Three large stones are
  embedded in the arch. Each has a different hue—
  olive on the lower left, russet at the top of the arch,
  and citron on the lower right.
  
  1 4
  “YOUR SACRIFICE WAS NOT IN VAIN. LOOK TO THE
  FOURTH TO FIND YOUR GAIN.”
  As these words are spoken, an invisible gem of seeing
  appears in the palm of the broken-off arm of the statue.
  The gem can be discovered only by feel with a success-
  ful DC 21 Search check (or if someone can see invisible
  objects). Once found, the gem of seeing must be wiped
  f ree of a magical substance causing its invisibility
  before it can be seen or used.
  Note that if the arm is carelessly moved, the gem
  falls off and rolls to a corner of the chamber, potentially
  alerting characters by the sound it makes that some-
  thing strange is going on.
  The gem of seeing, once wiped clean and visible, is an
  oval diamond, with two flat and polished sides, very
  clear, and about 1 inch in diameter by 1/4-inch thick.
  Unlike standard gems of seeing, it operates multiple times
  per day, but only for a total of twelve times for a period
  of 1 minute with each use, then shatters.
  12. Trapped False Door (EL 7)
  At this location, as well as several others throughout the
  tomb, a false door hides a spear trap.
  Trap: When one of these doors is opened, the trap
  is triggered. Show graphic #12 in each case.
  Fusillade of Spears: CR 7; magic device (conju-
  ration; CL 20th); touch trigger (when door is opened);
  automatic reset; Atk +23 ranged (1d8, spear); multiple
  targets (1d6 spears per target in a 30-ft. cone emanating
  from the opened door); Search DC 28; Disable Device
  DC 20.
  13. Chamber of Three Chests (EL Varies)
  The crawlway veiled by the illusory red sphere in room
  10 comes to an apparent dead end, though a DC 20
  Search check easily reveals the secret door leading to
  room 12.
  Trap: Opening the secret door triggers the annoy-
  ing falling trap that deposits all those affected into this
  room. (Room 13 is set 10 feet below the level of the
  room 10 and the connecting crawlway.)
  Falling Trap: CR 1; mechanical; touch trigger
  (when secret door is opened); automatic reset; DC 20
  Reflex save avoids; 10-ft. deep (1d6, fall); multiple
  targets (affects all characters in two adjacent 10-foot
  sections of the crawlway closest to the secret door);
  Search DC 24; Disable Device DC 20.
  
  1 5
  Those that fall into or enter room 13 see graphic
  #13A:
  Each of the three chests offers its own challenge. Each
  “chest” is affixed to the floor—in fact, each is a dungeon
  feature, not a separate moveable object.
  A DC 25 Search check locates a floor plug in the
  chamber that leads down into a crawlway described in
  room 7. The crawlway leads between room 7 and the
  southernmost pit described in room 3.
  The chamber is bare but for three conspicuous chests,
  each about 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. One
  appears to be of gold, the second is silvery, and the third
  is constructed of hardy oak banded with thick bronze.
  
  1 6
  Gold Chest
  This chest emanates magic of the school of conjuration
  (CL 20th). W hen opened, this chest automatically
  summons twelve tiny vipers, who are tougher and have
  more potent poison than normal.
  Creatures: If the snakes are summoned, show
  graphic #13B.
  Tiny Vipers, Snakes (12): hp 9 (not 1); Fo rt i-
  tude save to resist poison is 12 (not 10); Monster Ma n u a l
  page 280.
  Silver Chest
  This chest does not detect as magical. W hen opened,
  this chest doesn’t re veal its trap—only when the
  re vealed clear crystal box containing a silver ring is
  lifted clear of the box is the fusillade of darts trap
  t r i g g e re d .
  Trap: If the trap is triggered, show graphic #13C.
  Fusillade of Darts Trap: CR 5; mechanical;
  action trigger; manual reset; Atk +18 ranged (1d4+1,
  dart); multiple targets (1d8 darts per target anywhere in
  room 13); Search DC 19; Disable Device DC 25.
  Tre a s u re: T he silver chest holds a clear cry s t a l
  b ox (itself worth 1,000 gp) in which nestles a ring of
  p rotection +1.
  Wood Chest
  This chest emanates magic of the school of conjuration
  (CL 20th). W hen opened, this chest automatically
  summons a scimitar-wielding bone golem (though it
  looks like the skeleton of a giant). If the bone golem is
  summoned, show graphic #13D.
  
  1 7
  Creature: The bone golem summoned when the
  chest is opened fights until destroyed.
  BONE GOLEM, SCIMITAR SLASHER
  CR 9
  N Large construct
  Init –1; Senses low-light vision
  AC 22, touch 8, flat-footed 22
  h p 90 (11 HD); D R 5/adamantine and bludgeoning
  Immune to spells that allow spell resistance
  Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3
  Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
  Melee 2 great scimitars +14 (1d8+7/18–20)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Base Atk +8; Grp +19
  Special Actions haste
  A bilities Str 24, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
  Feats —
  Skills —
  I mmunity to Magic (Ex) A bone golem is immune
  to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell
  r e s i s t a n c e .
  Haste (Su) The bone golem can haste itself after 
  1 full round of combat, as the spell, giving it a
  +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge
  bonus to AC and Reflex saves, and one extra
  attack with one of its scimitars if it takes no
  movement each round.
  14. Chapel of Evil (EL 11)
  The crawlway veiled by the illusory black sphere in
  room 10 comes to an apparent dead end, though a DC
  26 Search check reveals the secret door leading to room
  14. Opening the secret door reveals a temple area. The
  room is broken up into the larger northern chapel and
  the narrower southern chapel.
  Northern Chapel
  Read the following aloud when the characters enter the
  area:
  The symbols of the various gods painted on the sides
  walls (pick several good gods native to your campaign)
  radiate a faint aura of good.
  Pews: The pews are heavy, uncomfortable wooden
  seats. A DC 21 Search check reveals each is hinged, and
  they open to reveal a hollow interior.The northernmost
  pair of pews each hold 4,000 sp. The next pair each
  contain 500 gp. The third pair each contains 2,000 gp,
  and the front pair are trapped and contain nothing.
  Poison Gas Traps (2): CR 7; magic device (trans-
  mutation; CL 20th); action trigger (when either south-
  ernmost pew is opened); automatic reset; gas; multiple
  targets (all targets in the northern chapel); never miss;
  onset delay (3 rounds); poison gas (DC 18 Fortitude save
  resists, 2d4 Str drain/2d4 Str); Search DC 24; Disable
  Device DC 21.
  Southern Chapel
  Characters who direct their attention to the southern
  part of the chapel see the following:
  Once characters have moved to stand on the south side
  of the wooden railing, show them graphic #14. A lot
  is going on in the southern chapel, and each important
  piece is broken up below.
  A. Opalescent Blue Altar:This block of artificial
  material glows with inner blue light. The altar radiates a
  faint aura of evil. Essentially, the altar functions as two
  consecutive traps: a lightning bolt trap and an explod-
  ing altar trap.
  Lightning Bolt Altar Tr a p : CR 10; magic
  device; touch trigger; automatic reset; spell effect (light-
  ning bolt, 10th-level wizard (maximized), 40-ft.-long 10-
  ft.-wide lightning bolt fires up aisle toward Northern
  Chapel, 60 electricity, DC 14 Reflex save half damage);
  Search DC 28; Disable Device DC 28.
  Exploding Altar Tr a p : CR 6; magic device;
  touch trigger (2nd touch) if lightning bolt trap already
  discharged; automatic reset (1 day); spell effect (fireball,
  1 0 t h - l e vel wizard, 10d6 fire [20-f t . -diameter fire b a l l
  around altar], DC 14 Reflex save half damage); Search
  DC 28; Disable Device DC 28.
  B. Archway of Glowing Orange: You can show
  the players graphic #5 when their PCs closely exam-
  ine this arch, though none of the stones glow, even
  Behind the wooden railing is an opalescent blue
  altar, which is set before a tiered dais that supports
  a well-carved and padded wooden chair. Two large
  brass candelabra, each holding five white candles,
  stand on either side of the dais. Two large white
  pottery urns, each stoppered with brass, sit in each
  corner. A human skeleton wearing badly rusted
  and torn black chainmail lies dead in the south-
  western portion of the room, one outstretched
  arm seeming to point into a mist-filled arch on the
  southern end of the west chapel wall.
  Chapel accoutrements fill this chamber, including
  great wooden pews on either side of a central
  mosaic path that leads toward an altar on the far
  side of the room, which is separated from the pews
  by a wooden railing. Scenes of everyday life are
  p a i nted on the walls, but all the people are
  portrayed with rotting flesh, skeletal hands, and
  worm-ridden orifices. Yet depicted amidst these
  disturbing portraits are various symbols of readily
  recognized benevolent deities.
  
  1 8
  when characters move close. The arch is filled with a
  vivid, luminescent orange mist.
  The vapors are magical (conjuration; CL 20th) and
  short of dispelling them (which only suppresses them
  for 1d4 rounds), the mists cannot be dispersed.
  However, true seeing or other powerful revelatory magic
  reveals that the passage continues westward into a 10-
  foot by 10-foot chamber with no exit.
  If the characters follow the “advice” of the pointing
  s k e l e t o n, a powe rful effect re qu i res each character
  making the trip to make two DC 20 Will saving throws,
  though characters can choose not to resist the effect. If
  the first save is failed, the alignment of the wearer is
  altered as radically as possible — see the advice on page
  275 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide under the helm of oppo-
  site alignment. If a character passing through the arch for
  the first time fails the second saving throw, the charac-
  ter’s gender switches (characters with no gender, such
  as dromites, are unaffected).
  Passing through the arch a second time (perhaps to
  leave the 10-foot by 10-foot room) restores the charac-
  ter’s original alignment (no saving throw) and deals 1d6
  points of damage, while passing under the arch yet a
  third time restores the character’s original gender (no
  saving throw) but instantly teleports the character as if
  they had passed through arch 10A.
  Characters who enter the arch (or are throw n
  through by mischievous companions) a fourth time
  begin the process anew.The spells remove curse, wish, and
  miracle (or the psionic power bend reality) can restore a
  character to normal, too. (Psychic chirurgery could restore
  just alignment.)
  C. Slotted Secret Door: A successful DC 21
  Search check of the eastern wall in this area reveals a
  small slot with the letter ‘O’ faintly traced above it. The
  slot is of sufficient size to accept a coin or a flat gem. It
  is also just right for insertion of a magic ring. This slot
  opens the passage to the east, as described under entry
  15 below, if a magic ring is pushed through it.
  Urns: The western urn along the south wall is
  e m p t y, but the eastern urn along the south wall
  contains a surprise. If opened, two bloodmote cloud
  swarms emerge and attack the opener.
  Bloodmote Clouds (2): hp 65 each; Libris Mortis
  page 88.
  Amidst the ashes at the bottom of the urn lies a
  bright red stone on a gold chain: a periapt of wound
  closure.
  15. Stone Gate
  A mass of stone in the shape of a great wedge (2-f e e t
  wide, 4-feet high, and 10-feet thick) fills the cone-s h a p e d
  
  1 9
  passage shown on the map. A powe rful antimagic field
  (abjuration; CL 20th) infuses the stone, rendering it
  almost immune to magical tampering. T he we d g e’s 2-f o o t
  wide, 4-foot high leading edge is actually flush with the
  wall in room 14, and it is situated directly below the slot
  described in 14C.
  If a ring is pushed through the slot in room 14, the
  magical mechanism controlling the gate triggers, and
  the great stone wedge sinks into the floor, allowing
  entry into the passage. However, the ring (and anything
  previously pushed through) is crushed and destroyed
  by the sinking stone.
  If the stone gate is appro a c hed from the south
  (instead of from the chapel), a mere shove causes the
  block to sink into the floor, allowing easy access back.
  15A. Trapped Corridor (EL 3)
  A series of three doors each open onto a pit immediately
  west of each door. T he doors are each slightly stuck (not
  locked or barred), and re qu i re a DC 15 St rength check to
  f o rce open. Howe ve r, if the character or characters who
  f o rce a door successfully are not specifically pre p a red to
  pull up short after the St rength che c k, the character or
  characters must next succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save to
  a void triggering and plunging into the pit traps.
  Traps: By the time a party moving west reaches the
  third door and associated pit trap, they may be condi-
  tioned to simply avoid the trap and pit; however, this
  third pit trap contains a secret door (DC 24 Search
  check) that opens onto another section of the tomb, as
  shown on the map.
  Camouflaged Pit Traps (3): CR 1; mechanical;
  location trigger; manual reset; DC 20 Reflex save avo i d s ;
  10 ft. deep (1d6, fall); Se a rch DC 24; Disable Device DC 20.
  16. Locked Oaken Door (EL 10)
  A door heavily bound with iron bands and several locks
  blocks the corridor.
  Characters who succeed on a DC 18 Listen check
  hear far-off music and happy singing, obv i o u s l y
  emanating from somewhere beyond. These noises are a
  facet of a magic trap in the corridor beyond purposely
  audible from this side of the door.
  T he door is locked and re qu i res an exceptional effort
  to break due to its heavy re i n f o rc e m e nt. Chopping the
  door to pieces re qu i res attackers to ove rcome the re i n-
  f o rced door’s hardness and hit points to create a hole
  large enough for a Medium cre a t u re to squ e eze thro u g h .
  Oaken Door: 6 in. thick; hardness 7; hp 100; break
  DC 31; Open Lock DC 41.
  
  2 0
  T he door radiates magic (abjuration; CL 20th).
  Unless dispelled, the magical ward prevents opening
  spells, including knock, from having any effect whatever
  on the door. However, the door is vulnerable to disinte-
  grate or even a passwall.
  If the door is destroyed or bypassed, observers see the
  corridor continues north. Howe ve r, the magic trap oper-
  ating in this corridor moves into a new phase: T he sounds
  of music and happy singing cease, replaced by the sounds
  of great confusion (a clatter, the sound of a few people
  talking at once, the words almost compre hensible) and
  running (away, north up the corridor), in conjunction
  with a faint receding glow (ve ry like a torch) appare nt l y
  50 feet away, and evidently receding qu i c k l y.
  If characters hang back, the noise and light fades—
  whoever was making the noises apparently escaped.
  Those taking the time to examine the corridor even
  casually note the passage is of smooth white alabaster,
  and the floor here is a highly polished smoke-gray
  marble.
  Trap: Characters lured into the corridor 30 or more
  feet activate the primary trap. If characters activate the
  trap, show the players graphic #16.
  Counterweight Corridor Trap: CR 10; magic
  device; location trigger (when 1 or more characters step
  30 feet down the corridor and overbalance the counter-
  weighted beam on which corridor is constructed, caus-
  ing victims to slide forward into lava pit); automatic
  reset; DC 25 Reflex save avoids (indicating those char-
  acters have ran back south out of the area); 30 ft. deep
  pit of lava (20d6 fire damage/round for total immersion,
  10d6 fire damage per round for 1d3 rounds after emerg-
  ing); multiple targets (first target in each of two adja-
  cent squares); Search DC 24; Disable Device DC 27.
  17. Magical Secret Door
  A secret door goes east off the top of a stairwell as show n
  on the map. T he secret door enjoys an extra measure of
  obscurity in the form of a concealing spell (abjuration;
  CL 20th). This means only exceptional Se a rch che c k s
  can locate the door (DC 30 Se a rch check), though a
  Se a rch check with the aid of a t rue seeing effect re qu i re s
  only a DC 20. Howe ve r, the door also enjoys pro t e c t i o n s
  similar to the door described in ent ry 16.
  T he door is locked and re qu i res an exceptional effort
  to break due to its heavy re i n f o rc e m e nt. Chopping the
  door to pieces re qu i res attackers to ove rcome the re i n-
  f o rced door’s hardness and hit points to create a hole
  large enough for a Medium cre a t u re to squ e eze thro u g h .
  Oaken Door: 6 in. thick; hardness 7; hp 100; break
  DC 31; Open Lock DC 41.
  T he door radiates magic (abjuration; CL 20th).
  Unless dispelled, the magical ward prevents opening
  s p e l l s, including k n o c k , f rom affecting the door.
  However, the door is vulnerable to disintegrate or even
  passwall.
  18. Fearsome Corridor
  Characters who come to the top of the stairs of the west
  leading corridor see the following:
  The mist obscures the final 20 feet of the western corri-
  dor, but characters do not initially know that. Charac-
  ters may also see that a faint haze extends all the way to
  the top of the stairs of the west-leading corridor (DC 21
  Spot check). Unless characters announce an intention
  to hold their breath or otherwise can avoid breathing in
  the gas, they must succeed on a DC 23 Fortitude save or
  become panicked for 5 rounds. (Panicked characters
  take a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill
  checks, and ability checks, and they run away from the
  source of their fear as quickly as they can.) 
  The gas is mundane, but magically conjured (conju-
  ration; CL 20th), and unless dispelled, even dispersing
  the gas with wind or through other means only buys
  1d4 rounds of clear air. Opening the door to room 18A
  also temporarily suppresses the conjuration of new gas
  into the area.
  18A. False Crypt (EL Variable)
  Unless the gas in area 18A is dispersed (howe ve r
  briefly), the door hidden by the clouds of gas is discov-
  erable via a DC 15 Search check. When the door is
  found and opened, characters see the following:
  The webs completely clog the 20 feet of stairs that lead
  down into room 18A. The webs are magical (conjura-
  tion; CL 20th); treat them as a product of a web spell (see
  page 301 of the Player’s Handbook).
  If the webs are burned, dispelled, or othe rw i s e
  bypassed, those who move down to the foot of the stairs
  can see the rest of the chamber:
  A lone mace lies at the foot of the stairs, which is
  the entrance to a decayed crypt furnished with
  rotting divans, broken chairs, and other refuse. All
  has gone to rot, save for a golden couch on which
  resides a humanoid clothed in funerary wrappings
  with a crown upon its head. A jade coffer lies at the
  foot of the couch.
  Thick webs choke a musty stairwell leading
  d ow n w a rd .
  The western portion of this corridor is filled with
  slowly roiling, pale white clouds.
  
  2 1
  The moment any character steps into the chamber,
  attacks into the chamber through mundane or magical
  means, or picks up the mace (see mace of lich smiting), a
  series of events, magically primed (transmutation; CL
  20th), trigger.
  First, the figure (a false Acererak) on the couch
  begins to rise. Show graphic #18. A booming voice
  simultaneously asks the following:
  Creature: The false Acererak attacks characters until
  destroyed. The false Acererak is particularly susceptible
  to the mace of lich smiting (see the mace’s description).
  See Development if the false Acererak is destroyed.
  False Acererak: hp 74; see sample lich stats on
  page 166 of the Monster Manual.
  Tactics: The false Acererak enters combat flinging
  its most potent spells, beginning with disintegrate, then
  cone of cold, and so on. However, if any character holds
  the mace of pretense, the false Acererak must succeed on
  a Concentration check with each spell it casts (DC 21 +
  level of spell cast) or the spell fails. The false Acererak
  visibly shrinks from and avoids the wielder of the mace
  of lich smiting.
  De vel o p m e nt: If the mace destroys the false
  Acererak, the figure instantly withers and disappears in
  a puff of smoke, and the mace shatters. At the same
  m o m e nt, read or paraphrase the following to yo u r
  players:
  The effect is an in-place dungeon delusion effect (illu-
  sion; CL 20th). Count down slowly from 10. You can
  nod or otherwise answer questions (for instance, there
  is enough time to grab the crown and the jade coffer
  lying near the couch, but nothing else before you reach
  1), but your audible countdown may stampede charac-
  ters unfamiliar with this scenario up the stairs. Those
  who retreat continue to feel the effects of a cave-in, with
  dust blowing up the stairs behind them, and then bits of
  stone beginning to fall in the east-west tunnel, then the
  north-south tunnel, and so on as they retreat, with the
  sounds of loud collapses at the players’ heels . . . If the
  party bugs out, ask them if they thought the adventure
  was too hard.
  PCs who actively disbelieve or who attempt to inter-
  act with the illusion can attempt a DC 20 Will save to
  note its illusory effect. Those who stay past the count of
  10 or revert to true seeing pierce the illusion: Nothing
  has changed at all.
  Treasure: The couch on which the false Acererak
  reclines is covered in thin gold leaf and worth 200 gp,
  the gem-studded crown is worth 800 gp, and the magic
  The room begins to shake and stones rain down
  from the ceiling. A tremor shoots from north to
  south through the room, and something grinds in
  the ceiling. More hunks of stone fall from the ceil-
  ing, and the rumbling noise begins to grow, and
  grow . . .
  “WHO DARES DISTURB ACERERAK’S REST?
  YOU HAVE FOUND DEATH.”
  pqqqqrs
  MACE OF LICH SMITING
  Treat this weapon as a +1 mace, except when wielded
  in the presence of a false Acererak. If wielded in the
  presence of a false Acererak, it glows with a bright
  golden light. When making attacks against the false
  Acererak, treat the mace as if it is a +5 holy mace of
  disruption. The false Acererak reacts as if scared of
  the mace and makes all attacks against the wielder
  at –2 on attack rolls and –2 on DCs of spells cast.
  The mace does not gain this power-up against any
  other foe.
  pqqqqrs
  
  2 2
  items it carried retain full market value if looted. The
  jade coffer itself is worth 200 gp, and contains six potions
  of cure serious wounds, ten 100-gp gems, a scroll contain-
  ing seven randomly selected 2nd-level spells, and a map
  purporting to the show the location of a ruin containing
  rich treasure several hundred miles away (it’s fake).
  19. Laboratory and Mummy Preparation Room
  (EL 3)
  This chamber may have once served as Acererak’s labo-
  ratory, though looks can be deceiving.
  PCs who check out the jars on the she l ves eve nt u a l l y
  d i s c over they are filled with all sorts of dust and impotent
  i n g re d i e nt s. T he urns and pots appare ntly once
  c o ntained unguent s, oils, and perf u m e s, by the smell and
  stains that re m a i n .
  Sa ve for the va t s, the only item of real int e rest is the
  mummified hand on one of the benche s—in fact, this
  is a mummified hand as described on page 80 of Li b r i s
  Mo rt i s.
  The Vats: All three vats still contain, apparently,
  murky water. Only probing into the water reveals, what,
  if anything, the water hides.
  The westernmost vat actually does hold dirty water,
  and nothing else.
  The middle vat contains a weak acid that causes a
  burning itch to affected flesh and deals 1d4+1 points of
  damage the round after contact. One half of a golden
  key is at the bottom of this vat.
  The easternmost vat contains the other half of the
  golden key from the middle vat—but it also holds a
  murky gelatinous cube! Any character that sticks his
  hand into the water is considered grappled by the cube
  and is immediately pulled into the vat. Roll initiative.
  Gelatinous Cube (Vat-Shaped): hp 54; Monster
  Manual page 201.
  T he two key halves are magical (transmutation;
  20th). If joined, they fuse and form a single key, here-
  after referred to as the First Key.
  20. Pit of Two Hundred Spikes (EL 7)
  A 30-foot-long, 10-f o o t -deep gap in the corridor is studded
  with spikes. Ob s e rvation re veals the spikes are far enough
  a p a rt for Medium characters to walk between the m .
  Trap: Any pressure whatsoever along the eastern-
  most 10-foot section of pit bottom triggers the
  projected spike trap, potentially over and over again
  with each step.
  Projected Spike Trap: CR 7; magic device; loca-
  tion trigger; automatic reset (1 round); DC 25 Reflex
  save avoids; 10-ft. deep (1d6, fall); pit spikes (Atk +15
  melee, 1d8 spikes per target for 1d8 each); multiple
  targets (targets in pit and in 5 foot section of corridor
  adjacent to pit); Search DC 26; Disable 20.
  21. Agitated Chamber (EL 10)
  Characters see some sort of abandoned funeral cham-
  ber; show graphic #21:
  Traps: The entire room is built upon a magical pertur-
  bation trap, which has 50% chance to trigger each round
  any character or characters remain in the chamber.
  More lethal by far are the slime tapestry traps that must
  be moved aside to search the walls behind them (neces-
  sary to find the secret door in the western wall with a
  DC 24 Search check, though any time a tapestry is
  handled, a chance exists that the perturbation trap trig-
  gers and causes the tapestry to tear . . .). The slime tapes-
  t ry trap and the perturbation trap can work in
  conjunction to disastrous effect.
  A general inventory of the chamber turns up six
  locked trunks and twenty-four locked coffers (Open
  Lock DC 20 +2d6).
  Coffers 2, 6, 11, and 14 contain two small vipers.
  Coffers 4, 19, and 24 contain three small vipers.
  Coffers 1, 9, and 22 contain four small vipers.
  Small Vipers (9): hp 4; Monster Manual page 280.
  Coffers 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 21, and 23 each
  contain 10d10 gp.
  Coffers 5, 7, 16, and 17 contain 2d4 sapphires (50 gp
  value each).
  Perturbation Trap: CR 3; mechanical; location
  trigger (50% chance each round—roll for chance at end
  of each round); automatic reset (1 round reset); mechan-
  ical effect (room shakes, characters fall prone, 1 point of
  damage, DC 14 Reflex save to avoid); Search DC 28;
  Disable Device DC 28.
  Slime Ta p e s t ry Tr a p s : CR 9; magic device;
  action trigger (if a tapestry is purposely torn, torn down,
  or if a tapestry is held back to search behind it for secret
  Rotted sofas, several thronelike chairs, small
  tables, braziers, vases, and dented, chipped, even
  broken urns lie in disarray about the chamber, as if
  purposely tumbled and looted. Only the tapes-
  tries, featuring weed-grown rocks and greenish
  scenes of undersea life, seem to have escaped such
  rough treatment.
  Shelves line the walls, and each shelf is stuffed
  with jars, vials, and glass bottles filled with color-
  ful liquids. A large desk stands between two work-
  benches. A lone mummified hand, herbs, bones,
  and skulls are scattered about on the work-
  benches. Clay pots, urns, and rolls of linen are
  strewn around the floor. Along the south wall
  stand three large vats, each nearly 4 feet deep and
  at least 7 feet in diameter.
  
  2 3
  doors when the perturbation trap goes off, the slime
  tapestry trap triggers); manual (magical) reset; magical
  effect (tapestry reverts to green slime and covers 10-
  foot-deep by 20-foot-long section immediately in front
  of where the tapestry hung, death by being engulfed in
  green slime, DC 24 Reflex save to avoid); Search DC 28;
  Disable Device DC n/a.
  Hallway Traps (EL 7)
  Two pit traps lurk beneath the floor of the hallway
  beyond entry 21, as shown on the map.
  Pit Traps (2): CR 5; mechanical; location trigger;
  manual reset; DC 20 Reflex save avoids; 100 ft. deep
  (10d6, fall); Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 20.
  A bleakborn lies quiescent at the bottom of the trap
  that lies at the intersection of the two corridors (the
  westernmost pit trap).
  Bleakborn (1): hp 52; Libris Mortis page 86.
  22. Cavern of Mists (EL 7)
  Looking into this chamber from outside, characters see
  the following:
  T he mists, magically generated (conjuration; CL 20th)
  a re poisonous, and any character who enters the m
  who is not holding her breath must make a DC 17
  Fo rtitude save or act as if c o n f u s e d (as per the spell) each
  round until she succeeds on a saving throw. Make a
  n ew saving throw each ro u n d —t he c o n f u s i o n e f f e c t
  lasts 1 round beyond the round a character success-
  fully save s. T he re a f t e r, the character is immune to the
  effect. T he confusion effect is secondary to the d ra i n i n g
  m e l o d y effect generated by the crypt chanter deeper in
  t he cave r n .
  Monster: Acererak once caged a siren here in the
  grotto behind the mists, but she escaped years ago (and
  the demons responsible for returning the tomb to a
  “pristine” condition after each group of adventurers
  passed through couldn’t catch her again). Now a crypt
  chanter lairs here. By coincidence, the crypt chanter
  looks not unlike the siren once magically bound to this
  The corridor opens into a wide room filled with
  silvery mists shot through with gold streamers.
  
  2 4
  chamber—when characters clear the mist, show them
  graphic #22. The crypt chanter spies the characters
  when they spy it, assuming they make no special effort
  to remain in hiding. Roll initiative.
  Crypt Chanter (1): hp 45; Libris Mortis page 93.
  23. False Hides the True
  The door at the northern end of this corridor opens
  onto what is apparently a blank wall—a so-called “false
  door.” However, the blank stone wall hides a secret door
  (DC 25 Search check) which opens into the corridor
  beyond.
  Immediately on the other side of the secret door is
  a n o t her secret door, but this one is a secret trap door in the
  floor (DC 26 Se a rch check). It opens onto a steep flight of
  n a r row stars that spiral down to a 5-foot-wide crawlway
  that connects into the corridor leading to area 24.
  23A. Trapping Corridor (EL 11)
  Unlike many other standard doors previously encoun-
  tered in the tomb, the doors opening onto this corridor
  are wide double doors, and oddly enough (if noticed;
  DC 25 Spot check) have recessed hinges that will allow
  the doors to swing in either direction.
  Magically generated (conjuration; CL 20th) poison-
  ous gas that induces sleep fills this corridor section. If
  either door is opened (the western door, or the north-
  ern door on the eastern side of the corridor), the gas
  i n s t a ntly expands to fill the corridor or corridors
  beyond to a distance of 30 feet. Characters caught in the
  gas must make a DC 20 Fortitude saving throw or fall
  into enchanted slumber from which no amount of
  shaking, slapping, or damage avails to wake them—
  only the dispersal of the gas, or removing them from the
  area affected by the gas, returns an affected character to
  wakefulness. The gas disperses after 10 rounds, and no
  new gas is generated until both doors opening onto this
  corridor remain closed for at least an additional 10
  rounds.
  The pressure differential of the gas escaping this
  chamber is noted by the stone juggernaut in the cham-
  ber beyond this corridor, which emerges from its cham-
  ber and moves out to attack creatures lingering in the
  halls, whether sleeping or awake; see Creature.
  Creature: A stone juggernaut docked in the cham-
  ber beyond 23A activates whenever the door opens, or
  when either door opening onto area 23A is opened. All
  double doors automatically open for the juggernaut.
  The stone juggernaut (show graphic #23) is a
  stone golem with a special trample attack instead of a
  
  2 5
  stone golem’s standard slam attacks.The golem moves at
  t he speed indicated for a stone golem (20 feet [4
  squares], or 2 squares on the Tomb of Horrors map if
  keyed to 10 feet per square), and rolls back and forth up
  and down the corridors it can reach. (It can’t get beyond
  the secret door keyed to 23, or down into the crawlway
  that leads to area 24.) It attacks until destroyed (rolling
  back and forth as necessary) or until it smashes all crea-
  tures in its range into pulp.
  Stone Juggernaut, Stone Golem (1): hp 107;
  juggernaut trample attack instead of slam attacks
  (juggernaut gets +5 on all trample-related checks, has
  Improved Trample, on successful trample attack [tram-
  ple succeeds if not blocked; see page 157 of Players
  Ha n d b o o k], juggernaut automatically deals 2d10+18
  points of damage in the restricted narrows of the corri-
  dor); see page 136 Monster Manual for other stats.
  24. Reinforced Door
  At the end of the corridor, characters see the following:
  T he 1-f o o t -thick steel door (it’s too expensive for the
  demons to keep replacing adamantine doors) is suffused
  with a globe of invulnera b i l i t y effect. (Howe ve r, only the
  d o o r, its hinges, and the stone around the hinges are so
  affected, allowing it to shed any spell of 4th or lesser
  l e vel.) T he effect cannot be brought down by a targeted
  dispel magic, but it can be suppressed for 1d4 rounds if
  t he dispel check beats a DC of 22. If the door is re m ove d
  f rom the stone that moors it through some determined
  engineering, it loses all magical abilities.
  The door is locked (DC 45 Open Lock check), but
  opens of its own accord if three sword blades are simul-
  taneously shoved into the slots.
  Note: Once open, the door automatically swings
  closed 5 rounds later. In addition to the invulnerability
  effect, the door enjoys a magical hardness (which can be
  suppressed for 1d4 rounds as the invulnerability effect)
  that allows it to mash any metal less deformable than
  adamantine that someone may put in place to hold it
  open. A character trying to hold it open needs to make
  a DC 30 Strength check each round to hold it open.
  From inside (room 25), no slots or other obvious meth-
  ods can get the door open again.
  25. Pillared Throne Room (EL Variable)
  The characters see a massive room filled with pillars;
  show graphic #25:
  Scores of massive columns hold up a ceiling tiled
  in dark stone. Across a gulf of darkness, something
  glitters with orange light.
  A door forged of gleaming metallic alloy with
  massive reinforced hinges bars passage beyond
  this point. T h ree ve rtical slots mar the door’s
  surface at waist height. Each slot is about 1 inch
  wide and 3 inches long.
  
  2 6
  This large chamber contains many features, which are
  described below. The ceiling here is 30 feet high. The
  orange light is the gem at area C.
  Pi l l a r s : T hese pastel-c o l o red, 3-f o o t -diameter pillars
  a re each home to a magical charge (transmutation; CL
  12th) that is released if touched. An yone touching a pillar
  (purposely or accidentally) must make a DC 22 Wi l l
  saving throw or float upw a rds as if affected by a l e v i t a t e
  spell, but not under his or her own cont rol. Un f o rt u-
  n a t e l y, the re is nothing on the ceiling with which one
  can get a good grip. Worse, a noticeable draft (in the
  upper air) sweeps all characters so affected tow a rd the
  a rea keyed to the devil faces at areas A or B at a rate of 30
  feet per round. T he effect is broken if a character re c e i ve s
  a re m ove curse or a dispel magic against a dispel check DC of
  23. Ot he rwise an affected character soon finds out whe re
  t he bre eze leads . . . Those initially closer to A are drawn
  t he re, those closer to B are drawn the re .
  A. Devil Face: As a character approaches, show the
  player what seems to be sucking in air here: graphic
  #6. This devil face is set near the ceiling (25 feet above
  the floor). Any creature that comes within 5 feet of the
  face is sucked in (automatically if suffering from the
  levitation curse of the pillars, or on a failed DC 20
  Reflex save or Strength check if otherwise). Luckily, the
  effect is not annihilation; instead all sentient characters
  are teleported and “spat out” of the face at area 6, while
  all their belongings are teleported to area 33.
  B. Devil Face: As a character approaches, show the
  player what seems to be sucking in air here: graphic
  #6. However, this face has a bluish cast. This devil face
  is set near the ceiling (25 feet above the floor). Any crea-
  ture that comes within 5 feet of the face is sucked in
  (automatically if suffering from the levitation curse of
  the pillars, or on a failed DC 20 Reflex save or Strength
  check if otherwise). Affected creatures and objects are
  teleported to area 27A.
  C. Charred Re m a i n s : W hen characters look
  he re, show graphic #25C and read the follow i n g
  t e x t .
  T he gem detects as evil (ove rw helming) and magical
  ( u n i versal; CL 20th); it is a gem of cursed wishing ( s e e
  page 27).
  D. Ebony Dais and Si l ver T h rone: Se e
  graphic #25D.
  Both the crown (see page 28) and the scepter (see page
  30) are magic items keyed to this chamber.
  A stark black dais holds an obsidian thro n e
  inlaid with silver and ivo ry skulls. A crown and
  scepter rest upon the throne. T he crown is
  g o l d e n, while the scepter has a silver end, and
  one of gold.
  Cinders, ashes, charred bones and skulls, and the
  crisped and blackened remains of gear, clothing,
  arms, and armor are strewn about a huge, glowing
  orange gem.
  
  2 7
  A search of the throne reveals a few things, includ-
  ing a small replica of the crown inlaid in silver upon the
  lower front panel of the seat (DC 15), and a secret door
  below the throne (DC 32 Search check), though it can
  be opened only by some sort of magic key. (In fact,
  touching the silver end of the scepter to the inlay
  induces the throne to sink, revealing a 5-foot-wide
  passageway to the south, toward area 28.)
  26. Electric Blue (EL 10)
  Both the small rooms keyed to this entry share the same
  exterior:
  Both doors keyed to this entry are unlocked. The west-
  ern room keyed to this entry is empty of all but dust.
  The eastern room keyed to this entry is not empty:
  The sarcophagus contains the parts of a mummy (not an
  undead cre a t u re, exactly, for at this time it is the
  mummified remains of a human) with wrappings
  partially undone and tattered, and a huge amethyst just
  b a rely visible between the wrappings covering the
  head—the gem is lodged in one eye-socket.
  Creature: If the mummified corpse is robbed of its
  gem (or its magic ring; see below), the cursed gem acti-
  vates (and disintegrates), pulling the spirit of a mummy
  lord into the corpse, which attacks the characters to the
  best of its abilities. Note the ring of fire resistance it wears,
  hidden beneath the wrappings on the middle finger of
  its left hand.
  A large wooden sarcophagus rests upon a low
  stone table. Broken and looted chests, urns, and
  coffers are scattered about on the floor.
  This small door seems to shimmer with a faint
  blue light. A sturdy brass ring hangs enticingly at
  the center of the door.
  pqqqqrs
  pqqqqrs
  GEM OF CURSED WISHING
  The gem of cursed wishing grants a wish, but it
  perverts the wish made so that no matter the wish,
  the desire of the holder is perverted, reversed, or
  otherwise foully twisted such that the holder (and
  any other hoping to benefit by the wish) is instead
  hurt. For instance, wishing a friend back alive might
  kill another friend, or disperse the remains; the DM
  makes the final call.
  Description: This shining orange gem is the
  size of a fist. Once the wish is made, the gem pulses
  a searing, hellish red.
  Activation: Anyone who touches the gem is
  telepathically infused with the certain knowledge
  that the gem can grant one wish to its holder. A
  holder activates it by making a verbal wish.
  Effect: Once the wish is made, it turns red as
  mentioned above; ask for initiative, and roll for the
  gem, too. Characters can take any action they desire
  if they act before the gem, but on the gem’s turn, it
  explodes in a searing ball of hellfire in a 15-foot
  radius that deals 200 points of fire damage to all
  creatures; it deals 70 points to those who succeed
  on a DC 23 Reflex save. The gem remains as a
  noisome mass of stinking purplish mold that
  bubbles and chuckles. In one week, the mass
  reforms as a glowing orange gem capable of grant-
  ing one more wish.
  Aura/Caster Level: Overwhelming universal.
  CL 20th.
  Weight: 1/2 lb.
  
  2 8
  Mummy Lord (10th-Level Cle r i c ) : hp 97;
  possessions ring of fire resistance; Monster Manual page
  190.
  Tactics: The mummy lord begins combat with a
  slay living, then insect plague.
  27. Scintillating Violet (EL 12)
  The room keyed to this entry has a snazzy exterior.
  The door opens easily, but it brightens when so pulled,
  showing tinges of sickly green flickering amidst the
  violet.
  Once the door is open, show graphic #27:
  A total of eight sets of crossed swords hang on the walls
  of this room (three on each east and west wall, and two
  flanking the north and south doors).
  This 10-f o o t -s qu a re chamber contains many
  martial war decorations, which consist of crossed
  swords over round shields.
  This small door seems to scintillate with a faint
  violet light. A sturdy brass ring hangs enticingly at
  the center of the door.
  pqqqqrs
  pqqqqrs
  GOLDEN CROWN
  This gold crown contains several enhancements,
  though most of them are keyed to room 25 of the
  tomb.
  Description: This gold crown is a small replica
  that is inlaid in silver.
  Activation: Anyone who wears the crown learns
  of its powers.
  Effect: If worn, the wearer is immediately tele-
  pathically visited with the information that the
  crown cannot be removed unless the scepter is
  touched to it—see specifics under the gold and silver
  scepter description. The wearer can also immediately
  see within the throne room as if in normal daylight.
  Also, the wearer is immune to the levitation effect of
  the pillars.
  However, the crown cannot leave the chamber. If
  teleported out, it immediately returns with its
  wearer (if still worn). The wearer cannot physically
  walk out of the chamber and must remove the
  crown to do so.
  Aura/Caster Level: Overwhelming transmuta-
  tion [evil]. CL 20th.
  Construction: Requires Create Wondrous Item,
  darkvision, bestow curse, teleport, 1,250 gp, 100 XP, 3
  days.
  Weight: 1/2 lb.
  Price: 2,500 gp.
  
  2 9
  Creature: The decorations are actually specially
  animated constructs, and they attack en masse any crea-
  ture who crosses the threshold of the chamber (or who
  attacks into the chamber). If a character is hacked to
  pieces, surviving decorative sets return to their wall
  mounts, waiting for the next transgressor.
  Crossed Swords and Shield Constructs (8):
  hp 52; see below.
  Tactics: If a character makes it all the way to room
  27A, the constructs cease attacking that character and
  return to the wall or move on to the next character that
  crossed the threshold.
  CR O S S E D SW O R D S A N D SH I E L D CO N S T R U C T CR 4
  N Small construct
  Init +0; Senses blindsight 60 ft.
  AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 16
  hp 52 (4 HD); DR 5/—
  Immune construct immunities
  Fort +1, Ref +1, Will –4
  Speed fly 30 ft. (6 squares)
  Melee 2 long swords +9 (1d8+6/19–20)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Base Atk +8; Grp n/a
  Abilities Str 22, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
  Special Qualities Construct traits
  Feats —
  Skills —
  27A. The Chamber of Hopelessness
  Characters who enter or arrive suddenly (as from the
  teleport trap from the devil face in room 25) in this
  chamber see graphic #27A:
  Anyone studying the runes who can read Common sees
  the following:
  “YOU WHO DARED TO VIOLATE MY TOMB MAY
  REMAIN
  AND DIE SLOWLY OF STARVATION, OR ESCAPE TO
  CERTAIN DEATH.
  W H AT EVER YOUR CHOICE, ACERERAK T H E
  ETERNAL
  WATCHES AND SCOFFS AT YOUR PUNY EFFORTS
  AND ENJOYS YOUR DEATH THROES.”
  The water is safe to drink, but lacking in nutrition as
  the many skeletons lying here testify. Many fine cracks
  in the ground make certain that flooding the place by
  stopping up drainage is impossible. The door to room 27
  opens easily, but the constructs there must be dealt with
  (if they haven’t already been destroyed); however, the
  constructs cease their attack as soon as the character(s)
  retreats into the chamber to the north.
  Water spills from a wall basin onto a sodden floor
  strewn with decayed bones and rotted equipment.
  Runes are carved in the northern wall.
  
  3 0
  Treasure: Amid the rotting equipment, a few valu-
  ables remain. A DC 18 Search check reveals 743 gp in a
  holed bag, several crushed gems, shattered vials, and
  broken (and 0 charge) wands, an unbroken potion of
  reduce person and a +1 flail with the name “Shatterskull”
  inscribed in Dwarven on the shaft.
  28. Wondrous Foyer
  The narrow passage behind the throne leads to a land-
  ing and steps that funnel south. See graphic #28.
  The six steps are made of onyx, pink marble, lapis, black
  marble, serpentine (golden), and malachite (re s p e c-
  tively, from lowest to highest). The walls are lined with
  copper (untarnished and gleaming) panels set between
  rare woods inlaid with ivory.The ceiling is silvered iron,
  formed so as to reflect and multiply light. Upon the
  fourth step is a large, cylindrical key of bronze called
  the key of antipathy (see page 31). The doors on the south
  wall are apparently made of mithral (see entry 29).
  29. Mithral Valves (EL 9)
  The doors set on the southern end of room 28 are 14-
  feet wide and 28-feet tall (and 3-feet thick). They are not
  forged of mithral; they just appear as if they are. (As in
  other places, it was too expensive for the demons to
  keep replacing mithral doors stolen by ambitious tomb
  looters.) However, in addition to a glamer to give the
  valves an illusion of mithral, they are suffused with a
  globe of invulnerability effect that affects only the doors,
  t heir hinges, and the stone and metal around the
  hinges, allowing the valves to shed any spell of 4th or
  lesser level). The effect cannot be brought down by a
  targeted dispel magic but it can be suppressed for 1d4
  rounds if the dispel check beats a DC of 22. If one or
  both valves are removed from the stone that moors it
  through some determined engineering, the valve (or
  valves) loses all magical abilities. The doors also enjoy a
  traplike effect called the flood of blood).
  The steps, wall, and ceiling of this stairwell are
  each apparently forged of a separate precious or
  semiprecious metal. A bronze key lies untended
  on one of the steps.
  pqqqqrs
  pqqqqrs
  GOLD AND SILVER SCEPTER
  This gold and silver scepter contains a few enhance-
  ments keyed to room 25, or to the golden crown.
  Description: One end of the scepter is a ball of
  gold, while the other is a sphere of silver.
  Activation: If the silver end of the scepter is
  touched to the silver inlay of the crown on the
  throne, the secret door is revealed, as described.
  Additionally, touching the scepter to the crown has
  another effect that depends on which end is used to
  touch the crown.
  Effect: If touching the scepter to the golden crown
  in order to remove it, the wearer must choose
  between the silver or golden end. If the silver end is
  touched to the crown, the wearer must make a DC
  23 Fortitude save or be instantly snuffed out, turn-
  ing to a fetid powder that cannot be brought back to
  life through any means save 9th-level effects such as
  w i s h or m i ra c l e. On a successful save, nothing
  happens, but the crown does not come off. If the
  golden knob of the scepter is touched to the crown,
  the wearer can lift it from his or her head.
  Aura/Caster Level: Overwhelming transmuta-
  tion [evil]. CL 20th.
  Construction: Requires Create Wondrous Item,
  bestow curse, 1,250 gp, 100 XP, 3 days.
  Weight: 1/2 lb.
  Price: 2,500 gp
  
  3 1
  The valves are locked (DC 45 Open Lock check; see
  Trap below), but offer a tempting keyhole: Where the
  valves meet, at about waist height, is a cuplike depres-
  sion, a hemispherical concavity, with a central hole. The
  hole appears to be the keyhole for the key of antipathy,
  but if the key of antipathy is inserted, the character doing
  so is jolted for 2d10 points of electricity damage, while
  the first key (obtained from room 19) deals 4d10 points
  of damage to anyone who inserts it!
  The real key to these great gates is the gold and silver
  scepter from 25D. If the gold ball is inserted into the
  depression, the valves swing silently open. If the silver
  sphere is touched to the hemispherical cup, the charac-
  ter must make a DC 23 Will save or instantly be spat out
  of the devil’s mouth at 6, while all nonliving materials
  with him are teleported to area 33. The scepter flashes
  back to the throne at 25D.
  Trap: If the valves are scratched or nicked, a line of
  blood appears; if attacked by force significant enough to
  deal any damage (or if an Open Lock check fails by
  more than 5), the flood of blood trap is triggered.
  Flood of Blood Tr a p : CR 9; magic device; action
  trigger (if the va l ves take damage or absorb damage with
  h a rd n e s s, or an Open Lock check fails by more than 5,
  t he trap triggers); magical reset; magical effect (the
  t h ro n e / s e c ret door at 25D reseals and locks [DC 45
  Open Lock check to access again] and the va l ves gush
  f o rth the blood of all those who’ve died in the tomb and
  floods the room in 4 rounds; see drowning rules on page
  304 of the D M G); Se a rch DC n/a; Disable Device n/a.
  No t e : A c u re critical wounds applied to the va l ve
  staunches the flow of blood, as will a heal, two cure seri-
  ous wounds, or four cure light wounds spells. The blood
  drains out after 24 hours.
  30. False Treasure Room (EL Variable)
  W hen characters look into this chamb e r, show
  graphic #30:
  Most of the features in this chamber are designed to
  distract and derail characters intent on finding the real
  treasury of Acererak.
  Antimagic Chamber: The room itself is lined
  with lead and exists within a customized antimagic field
  (abjuration; CL 20th), so no spells work within the
  chamber, and no magical properties of items of any sort
  properly function except items and spells that detect
  auras such as magic or evil. Also, the spell-like abilities
  of the efreeti function normally, as do the enchant-
  ments on the contents of the iron chests.
  A. Bronze Urn:This gold filigreed container is the
  size of a Small creature, and a thin stream of smoke
  issues from a tiny vent in its brass stopper that is sealed
  with gold fill. This gold must be pried out to open the
  urn. If the stopper is removed, an efreeti emerges. If the
  urn has been battered, knocked about, shaken, over-
  turned, and so on, the efreeti is in a fury and attacks
  immediately. Otherwise, it is hostile and must be dealt
  with in a diplomatic fashion (see page 72 of the Player’s
  Ha n d b o o k —if not immediately hostile, the efre e t i
  begins as unfriendly toward the PCs) to coax out a
  single wish; otherwise it merely leaves (walking from
  the chamber then plane shifting away).
  Ef reeti (1): hp 65; Special Ability able to use its
  spell-like abilities in this chamber; Monster Ma n u a l
  page 115.
  A silvered ceiling reflects a grand room with inlaid
  ivory and gold tiled walls and a polished agate tiled
  floor. A hulking black iron demonic sculpture
  rests in each corner of the chamber, each bearing a
  d i s t i n c t i ve weapon. In addition, the chamb e r
  contains a gold filigreed bronze urn from which
  issues a thin stream of smoke, two iron chests, and
  a granite sarcophagus which is plainly inscribed
  with the name ‘ACERERAK.’
  pqqqqrs
  pqqqqrs
  KEY OF ANTIPATHY
  This bronze key has an effect that repels creatures.
  De s c r i p t i o n : This large, cylindrical key is
  formed from bronze.
  The key of antipathy appears to work as a normal
  key, and visually it appears to fit the mithral valves
  described in entry 29 (though on a successful DC 30
  Search check, a comparison reveals this not to be
  the case).
  Activation: Touching the key activates its power.
  Ef fect: This bronze key enjoys an a n t i p a t h y
  effect—any creature touching it must make a DC 23
  Will save or be repelled by an overpowering urge to
  avoid the key. The compulsion forces them to aban-
  don the key and never touch it again. Even on a
  successful save, a creature feels uncomfortable
  touching or using it.
  Aura/Caster Level: Overwhelming enchant-
  ment. CL 20th.
  Construction: Requires Create Wondrous Item,
  antipathy, 1,250 gp, 100 XP, 3 days.
  Weight: n/a.
  Price: 2,500 gp.
  
  3 2
  B. Granite Sarcophagus: The huge outer shell
  of this stone container is scribed with the name ACER-
  ERAK (a DC 20 Spot check reveals that some precious
  inlay was pried out at some point in the past). The
  sarcophagus opens with not too much effort (DC 16
  Strength check) and contains the rotted remnants of an
  inner wooden coffinlike shell, a few bones, defaced
  jewelry (precious stones pried out), torn bits of robes
  and windings, dust, and a broken staff (a DC 15 Knowl-
  edge (arcana) check reveals that it was a staff of the magi).
  If this broken staff is removed from this chamber, the
  effect of breaking a staff of the magi, long delayed, is
  visited upon the holder; see page 280 of the DMG.
  Among the remnants is a shattered skull. (Why, the
  demilich has long been destroyed, but his magical traps
  somehow survived!)
  C. Iron Chests: Each of these massive iron boxes
  is set into the stone and is triple locked (Open Lock
  DCs 20, 25, and 35, respectively) and each is set with
  poison needle traps. Both show marks of prying, batter-
  ing, and so on.
  Poison Needle Traps (3) CR 6, 8, and 10, respec-
  tively; mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; Atk +8
  ranged (1 plus wyvern oil poison—Dungeon Master’s
  Guide page 296); Search DC 22, 26, and 30 respectively;
  Disable Device DC 20, 24, and 28 respectively.
  The eastern chest holds 10,000 gems that appear to
  be of not less than base 50 gp value each, thanks to an
  illusory effect (illusion; CL 20th) that fades if the gems
  are removed from the tomb. Each is actually a quartz
  flint worth at most 1 cp.
  D. Iron Statues: Each iron statue is 9 feet tall and
  is forged of black iron. The statue to the northeast
  stands with a saw-toothed two-handed sword raised to
  strike; the statue to the northwest has a huge, spike-
  ended mace; to the southeast the sculpture readies a
  wickedly spiked morning star, and the one in the south-
  west has a glaive. Each has a magical aura (transmuta-
  tion; CL 20th), but they are merely hunks of metal; they
  do nothing. Each has an evil aura as well (overwhelm-
  ing), and the visage of each of these iron statues is most
  fearsome and terrifying.
  Those interested in moving the statues may do so
  with a DC 22 Strength check. If the northwestern
  statue is moved, a pull ring in the floor is revealed. The
  pull ring is a concealed door that opens into a 10-foot
  deep, 5-foot wide shaft that opens onto a lower corridor
  leading west, as shown on the map.
  
  3 3
  31. Phase Exit
  The two one-way doors at the southern end of the two
  matched hallways (as shown on the map) are magical
  i n-dungeon constructions (transmutation; CL 20th)
  that utilize an effect similar to passwall in that they allow
  characters approaching from the north to pass as if
  normal through either door into the east-west corridor
  to the south. Once thro u g h, howe ve r, the passage
  simply doesn’t exist from the south. Once something
  partly enters the door from the north, it is committed—
  it cannot stop halfway and return. Thus, a rope or other
  long object must pass all the way through. Attempting
  to pull it back up toward the north is like attempting to
  pull the wall itself—it acts as if embedded.
  32. The True Crypt? (EL 8)
  Read this carefully; the room beyond the secret door
  changes aspects depending on the actions of the char-
  acters.
  The Secret Door to the True Crypt
  A secret door at this location noted on the map leads
  into the crypt. Discovery of the secret door (DC 25
  Search check) reveals a small keyhole. If the first key
  (gold key from room 19) is inserted or characters
  succeed on a DC 40 Open Lock check, a 10-foot-square
  section of the wall sinks; it is a stone-sheathed adaman-
  tine cube. (Can anyone doubt that the end of the adven-
  ture—one way or another—is near?)
  The Crypt
  Revealed by the sinking cube described above is a 10-
  foot wide, 20-foot deep cavity with an arched, 25-foot
  tall ceiling, apparently empty save for a small, square
  depression a few inches deep in the center of the floor.
  Careful inspection (DC 25 Search check) reveals a small
  hole in the depression—another keyhole!
  If the first key (gold key from room 19) is inserted or
  a DC 45 Open Lock check is failed by 5 or more, the
  first key trap is triggered. 
  First Key Trap: CR 6; magic device; action trigger
  (if first key is used in lock or DC 45 Open Lock check is
  flubbed by 5 or more the trap is triggered); automatic
  reset; key explodes plus spell effect (fireball, 10th-level
  wizard, 10d6 fire, DC 14 Reflex save half damage);
  Search DC 32; Disable Device DC 37.
  If the key of antipathy is inserted into the keyhole and
  turned, nothing untoward happens; in fact, nothing
  happens at all, unless the key is completely rotated
  clockwise three times in succession. If this occurs, the
  crypt trap is triggered.
  Crypt Trap: CR 6; magic device; action trigger (if
  key of antipathy is used in lock or DC 45 Open Lock
  check is successful the trap is triggered); automatic reset;
  true vault rises from floor (20d20, crush); multiple
  targets (vault fills entire southern 15-foot section of the
  20-foot deep room); never miss; onset delay (1 round);
  Search DC 30; Disable Device DC n/a. Note: Those
  crushed are compacted up into the space above the true
  crypt—a DC 30 Disable Device check can reset the true
  crypt back into the floor so that trapped (and probably
  deceased) compatriots and their belongings can be
  accessed.
  After the crypt trap is triggered, the southern 15-foot
  section of the chamber is filled with a mithral vault. A
  mithral door with a pull ring is visible, and it opens
  onto room 33 (inside the mithral vault) with a hard pull
  (DC 15 Strength check).
  33. Crypt of Acererak the Demilich (EL 12)
  When characters open the door at the end of the corri-
  dor revealed in 32, show graphic #33.
  A pile of gems, coins, vials, scrolls, and other items
  lies immediately inside the door of this mithral
  vault, but against the rune-scribed far wall is a
  stone bier. On the bier is a thick layer of dust
  m i xed with bone shards and a gem-e n c ru s t e d
  skull.
  
  3 4
  Here lingers the demilich Acererak . . . or so it would
  seem. Most adventurers who reach this “true” crypt die
  screaming, thinking their souls are being plucked forth
  by Acererak himself. In truth, the skull described in the
  mithral vault, while potent and likely ultimately lethal
  to the PCs, is a construct created by the real demilich,
  designed to facilitate his elaborate, ages-long plot. The
  real demilich resides in his Fortress of Conclusion in
  t he Ne g a t i ve Energy Plane, seeking to merge his
  consciousness with the fabric of negative energy itself,
  and so undergo a terrible apotheosis . . . but that is a
  story for another adventure (as recounted in Return to
  the Tomb of Horrors).
  Creature: Acererak left behind the dust of his
  bones and a potent demilich-like construct resting in
  the far recesses of the vault. If the treasure in the crypt
  is touched, the dust swirls into the air and forms a
  manlike shape. In previous decades, the form, while
  seeming to threaten, couldn’t hurt intruders unless they
  interacted with it. But no more—now the form is a fully
  empowered ghost that immediately attacks characters
  who try to take the treasure.
  Worse is the demilich construct, in the form of the
  j eweled skull (show graphic #33A if PCs study the
  skull or if it attacks). In prior decades, the skull was
  c o nt e nt to wait until touched; howe ve r, if any cre a t u re
  t o u c hes the tre a s u re or the skull itself, it attacks with its
  soul suck power immediately, until it va n qu i s hes all foes.
  Ghost (5th-Level Human Fi g h t e r ) : hp 32;
  Monster Manual page 117.
  Demilich Construct: hp 49; see below.
  DEMILICH CONSTRUCT
  CR 12
  NE Tiny construct
  Init +0; Senses blindsight 60 ft.
  AC 26, touch 12, flat-footed 26
  hp 49 (9 HD); DR 20/keen or vorpal weapon
  Immune magic (as golem; see below), construct
  immunities
  Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3
  Speed fly 20 ft. (4 squares)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Base Atk n/a; Grp n/a
  Special Action soul suck*
  Abilities Str 10, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1
  Special Qualities construct traits
  Feats —
  Skills —
  Immunity to Magic (Ex): The demilich construct
  is immune to all spells, spell-like abilities, and
  supernatural effects, just as if the attacker had
  failed to overcome spell resistance, except as
  follows.
  A command spell “forget” causes the skull to sink
  down without sucking a soul.
  Each shatter spell thrown at it deals 10 points of
  damage if it fails its saving throw.
  A power word kill deals 10 points of damage if it
  fails its saving throw.
  An eyebite spell deals 10 points of damage on a
  failed saving throw.
  A dispel evil spell deals 5 points of damage.
  A holy word pronounced against it deals 20 points
  of damage on a failed saving throw.
  Soul Suck (Su): In lieu of regular attacks, the
  demilich construct makes a soul suck attack
  each round. The skull rises into the air 5 feet
  and attacks one of the characters by attempt-
  ing the draw the soul of the target from his or
  her body and trapping it within one of the
  jewels set in the skull. (The skull preferentially
  targets those who deal it the most damage.)
  To resist the soul suck attack, a character must
  succeed on a DC 23 Fortitude saving throw. If
  foiled, the construct attacks again the next
  round. If successful, the soul is sucked into a
  
  3 5
  gem that gleams wickedly, while the soul-
  sucked body of the character collapses in a
  mass of corruption and molders in a single
  round—totally gone.
  The skull can suck a total of eight souls—in any
  24 hour period. *If foes remain once the skull
  is sated, it begins uttering blasphemy (page 205
  Player’s Handbook), one per round, with a caster
  variable caster level each round equal to
  6+3d6.
  Development: Ages past, a tiefling of surpassing
  evil and skill in both arcane and divine magic took the
  steps necessary to preserve his life force beyond the
  centuries he had already lived, and this creature became
  t he lich Ac e rerak. Over the scores of years that
  f o l l owed, the lich dwelled with hordes of ghastly
  servants in the gloomy stone halls of the very hill that
  houses the current tomb. Eventually Acererak hit upon
  a more insidious plan for extending his existence and
  power, so for the next eight decades, the lich’s servants
  labored to create the Tomb of Horrors. Then Acererak
  apparently destroyed all of his slaves and servitors,
  magically hid the entrance to his halls, and went to his
  final haunt, while his soul roamed strange planes
  unknown to even the wisest of sages (though it later
  become clear that the ultimate focus of his conscious-
  ness moved to the Negative Energy Plane).
  If the demilich construct skull is destroyed, each
  character trapped in a gem must make a DC 18 Will
  saving throw. A failed save indicates the demilich
  construct drained the soul and devoured it before being
  destroyed. Those who succeed are not destroyed, but
  their soul remains trapped in a gem; this is evidenced
  by a faint inner light (and the character is visible as a
  tiny figure within the gem if viewed with true seeing or
  similar effects). Treat the gem as the result of a success-
  fully cast soul bind spell (page 281 Player’s Handbook).
  Treasure: The pile of coins and items include the
  following items.
  • All the items from characters who lost their equip-
  ment through various tomb traps.
  • Ninety-seven 10 gp gems and three huge gems (a
  1,000 gp peridot, a 5,000 gp emerald, and a 10,000 gp
  black opal).
  • Gems set in the demilich construct: two jewels set
  into the eye sockets (5,000 gp rubies) and 6 pointed
  (marquis cut) diamonds set as teeth in the jaw (each
  diamond worth 500 gp).
  • T h ree potions of c u re serious wounds, one potion of
  heroism, two oils of keen edge, two potions of fly and a
  potion of greater magic fang.
  
  3 6
  • Two scrolls of command, one scroll of slow, one scroll of
  arcane eye, one scroll of shatter, one scroll of scorching
  ray, one scroll of dispel evil, one scroll of Melf ’s acid
  arrow, and one scroll of power word kill.
  • A ring of feather falling, a lesser rod of silent metamagic,
  and a staff of fire.
  • A +3 defending greatsword, a cursed backbiter spear, and
  two –2 cursed longswords.
  • A pair of goggles of lifesight (see Libris Mortis, page 78).
  • A wrapped tower (see Libris Mortis, page 76).
  CONCLUDING THE
  ADVENTURE
  Whether characters succeed, fail, or flee the tomb, the
  demons charged with its upkeep pick up the pieces
  afterward, slowly but surely returning the dead tomb to
  the status decried by Acererak, whose true aims are too
  terrible to comprehend. 
  This ends the expedition to theTomb of Horrors. We
  hope you and your players found it exciting, challeng-
  ing, and rewarding.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/Adventures/Mega book pack adventures/Level 06-10/Tomb Of Horrors.pdf